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Florida local government salary, 2008-2011
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According to 2008 U.S. Census data, the state of Florida and local governments in the state employed a total of 1,049,028 people.[1] Of those employees, 832,252 were full-time employees receiving net pay of $3,302,955,436 per month and 216,776 were part-time employees paid $213,151,877 per month.[1] More than 51% of those employees, or 539,321 employees, were in education or higher education.[1]
Cities
The top salary for the city of Jacksonville in 2011 was $208,119.00 for an employee in the Medical Examiner's office.[2] The top salary in Miami for 2007 was that of the City Clerk, who made $193,385.[3]
Tallahassee received an A rating on its pension plan in a recent study by the LeRoy Collins Institute (LCI).[4] For a city to receive the F rating on this scale, the pension plan must be funded at less than 60 percent. This list includes Panama City, funded at 58.53%, and Miami, funded at )%.[4]
Counties
The top salaries in Florida county government jobs vary by county. In Miami-Dade County, the highest earner was the Director of Audit and Management Services, who made $230,549.87.[5] The highest earner in Broward County in 2009 was the County Administrator, who made $301,154.[6]
In Palm Beach County, salaries for 50 different general pay grades range from $18,665.92 annually, all the way up to $126,553.24 per year (or $139,524.32 with 20 years of service).[7]
Hillsborough County, in response to a Florida Sunshine Law request by Sunshine Review, released its employee salary data. Data as of December 2011 shows that the highest earner in the county was the Chief Medical Examiner, who brought in $250,411.20.
School districts
| District | '08 salary | Total compensation | Current superintendent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | $204,941.00 | $265,613.00 | Richard DiPatri |
| Dade | $275,000.00 | $330,502.00 | Alberto Cavalho |
| Hillsborough | $257,958.00 | $297,231.00 | MaryEllen Elia |
| Jackson | $99,554.00 | $130,897.00 | Lee Miller |
| Palm Beach | $249,999.00 | $315,000.00 | Arthur Johnson |
| Sarasota | $179,620.00 | $266,207.00 | Lori White |
Law enforcement
In the Miami-Dade Police Department, police lieutenants with at least two decades of service can earn in the low-to-mid $100,000s.[9] The average base salary for a full-time sheriff’s office employee is $67,492 in Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office employees as of September 2011.[10]
For the Broward County Sheriff, one lieutenant's base pay in 2009 was $274,754.47, which went up to $287,357.74 when other factors were applied.[11] The sheriff for Hillsborough County earned $149,406.40 during that time.
Fire departments
For the Miami Fire Department, the fire chief brought in the highest salary in 2007, earning $162,579.00.[12] In Jacksonville, the Fire Chief also brought in the most money, earning $154,875.00 in 2011.[13]
Salary articles
In 2011, Sunshine Review requested salary information from 19 local governments in the state.
Cities
Counties
School districts
- Miami-Dade County School District
- Broward County Public Schools
- Palm Beach County School District
- Hillsborough County School District
Law enforcement
- Miami-Dade Police Department, Florida
- Broward County Sheriff's Office, Florida
- Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Florida
- Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida
- Miami Police Department, Florida
- Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Florida
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida
Fire departments
Salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review chose 152 local governments as the focus of research on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected eight states with relevant political contexts (listed alphabetically):
1. California
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection method was to develop articles on governments affecting the most citizens.
The salary information garnered from these states were a combination of existing online resources and state Freedom of Information Act requests sent out to the governments.
A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia said the city of Philadelphia faced challenges owing to the cost of public employee pensions.[14] The report claimed the amount that Philadelphia paid to pension recipients limited the city’s ability to use its budget effectively.
The report said there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701.[14] The authors recommended three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions: improved data collection, expanded transparency initiatives, and reductions to the city's overall budget.[14]
Salary schedules can be published as ranges, not as specific compensation figures, and may leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aimed to close the gap and provide a more accurate picture of public employee salaries for the sake of public education and transparency.
External links
- Government Salaries: Who’s on your Payroll?, Tampa Bay Online, 2011
- Jacksonville Area Government Employee Salaries, Jacksonville.com
- 2011 State of Florida Employee Salaries, MyFlorida.com
- Volusia-Flagler Public Salary Database, Daytona Beach News-Journal, 2011 (dead link)
- "Out of Balance? Comparing Public and Private Sector Compensation of 20 Years," Center for State & Local Government Excellence, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 2008 Florida Public Employment U.S. Census Data
- ↑ Jacksonville employee salaries
- ↑ Miami employee salaries
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Famuan, "Public Employees Feel Safe with City Pension," November 17, 2011
- ↑ Miami-Dade County employee salaries
- ↑ Broward County employee salaries
- ↑ Palm Beach County employee salaries
- ↑ First Coast News
- ↑ Miami-Dade Police Department, Florida
- ↑ Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Florida
- ↑ Broward County Sheriff's Office, Florida
- ↑ Miami Department of Fire-Rescue, Florida
- ↑ Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Florida
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
