The FRS was a 100% employer-contribution system, until the Legislature required employees contribute three percent of their salary in the 2011 legislative session. The Legislature eliminated the cost of living adjustment for the next five years and reduced the accrual rate for Deferred Retirement Option Program. Other significant changes were made for new employees enrolled in the FRS after July 1, 2011 include an increased retirement age, years of service, and average final compensation.
Counties cannot establish individual contribution rates, but simply pay the contribution rates established by the Legislature. Counties do not make retirement decisions at the local level. All benefits promised are those made by the Legislature.
Campaign Finance
Counties are prohibited from expending public funds to advocate for or against a position that will come before the voters. This measure, SB 216, sponsored by Senator Charlie Justice, passed in the 2009 session and was signed by Governor Charlie Crist. This law restricts local governments’ ability to expend or authorize the expenditure of funds to advocate for the passage or defeat of any issue, referendum, or amendment that will appear on the ballot before the electorate. The bill does not prohibit local elected officials’ ability to voice his or her opinion, but there is no clear distinction between fact and opinion. FAC opposed this bill and will monitor how this legislation affects local governments.
Ethics
As elected officials, county commissioners are expected to be good stewards of the tax payer’s dollars, and with that county officials must maintain a high level of trust with the public. As a general rule, full disclosure is the best policy. For the most up to date information of ethics laws in Florida, please visit the Florida Ethics Commission’s website.
Government in the Sunshine
In October 2009, the Attorney General called together a Task Force to examine how emerging technology impacts state agencies in Florida. National experts from Research in Motion, the makers of Blackberry smartphones, came to demonstrate the capabilities that technology has to retain public records. These experts discussed Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and indicated that PIN messaging can be retained as a public record.
The Sunshine Task Force met again in November 2009. The Attorney General invited representatives from Microsoft to discuss voice over internet protocol (VOIP), instant messaging and video records. Voicemails and conversations can now be digitized and transcribed and posted to the internet. Technology is capable of capturing these different forms of records and yet many questions arise over the retention and classification of such records. The consensus is that the best point to manage the data is when the record iscreated.
The final Sunshine Task Force meeting convened in February 2010 and presented information related to public records and social networking. A series of informal opinions released by the Attorney General were discussed and can be located here.
For more information on the Attorney General’s Sunshine Task Force visit their website at www.myflsunshine.com.
Libraries
State Aid to local libraries is a critical component to keeping the doors of our counties information centers open. The Florida Association of Counties works hand in hand with the Florida Library Association to ensure that local libraries are fully funded.
For more information on these issues contact John Wayne Smith, Legislative Director, at (850) 922-4300.