Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Florida, 2009-2011
This article may not adhere to Ballotpedia's current article guidelines. Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org to suggest an improvement.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office employee salaries are public records under the Florida Sunshine Law.
Gov. Rick Scott's office launched a website on March 17, 2011 that provides access to frequently requested public records and information, including a state employee salary database and a list of state pension benefits that exceed $100,000.[1]
The website, FloridaHasARightToKnow.com, also includes contract records, information on rule-making status and procedures and links to other open government resources.
Salaries
2011
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office website, the starting salary in 2011 for law enforcement officers after training was $44,881.20 and the starting salary for detention deputies after training was $44,335.20.[2]
2010
In March 2010, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office had 200 positions unfilled. Half of the positions were in detention services and the other half in law enforcement. This was due in part to the high employment standards of the department.[3]
2009
According to a 2009 investigation by WTSP 10 News, the highest earners in the Sheriff's Office were all Sheriff's pilots and the Sheriff. The sheriff earned $149,406.40 at the time.[4]
| Last name | First name | Pay rate | Department | Job title | Yearly salary |
| Gee | David | $71.83 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff | $149,406 |
| Harkness | Royal | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Hathcox | Lester | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Johnson | Kevin | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Kirk | John | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Langiotti | Kevin | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Templeman | Robert | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Waller | Ronald | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Harkness | Royal | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
| Hathcox | Lester | $31.89 | Sheriff's Office | Sheriff's pilot (EXT HR) | $66,331 |
Benefits
Employees are eligible for the following benefits:[5][6][7]
- Health benefits
- Paid retirement (75% of salary after 25 years of service)
- 24-hour gym
- Tuition reimbursement
- Language incentive
Vehicle use
Law Enforcement Deputies receive a take-home car.[8] Employees that are issued a take-home vehicle and reside outside of the county have to pay $0.50 a mile from their home to the county line.[9]
42 civilian employees and four jail employees have take-home vehicles.[10]
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.[11] 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.[11] 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.[11]
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.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ "Gov. Scott posts state employees' salaries," Daytona Beach News-Journal, March 18, 2011
- ↑ Careers
- ↑ Tampa Bay "Despite the bad economy, Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has over 200 jobs unfilled"
- ↑ "LOOK UP: City and County public officials who pull down big bucks," WTSP 10 News, May 19, 2009
- ↑ Careers
- ↑ Tampa Bay "Despite the bad economy, Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has over 200 jobs unfilled"
- ↑ Benefits
- ↑ Benefits
- ↑ Palm Beach Post "South Florida deputies get take-home cars — and we pay"
- ↑ Tampa Bay "Sheriff's Office cars called perks"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
