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Miami Police Department, Florida, 2007-2011
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Miami Police Department, Florida 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.[2]
Salaries
According to the Miami Police Department website, the starting salary for post-academy basic recruits is $45,929. Further salary and work information include:[3]
- Bonus money for Crime Prevention Pay ($2,000) and FDLE Certification ($1,648)
- Cost of living and periodic pay increases
- 2.5% pay increases every 6 months for the first 7 years
- Longevity pay increases
- 4 day, 10 hour workweek
In 2007, the highest-paid employee and the only one earning above $150,000 a year was Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez with a salary of $164,033.[4] The lowest paid employee was school crossing guard Wenceslao Ortiz with a salary of $8,320.
| Name | Title | Years employed | Annual salary |
| FRANK G. FERNANDEZ | DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF | 22 | $164,033.00 |
| ADAM L. BURDEN | ASST CHIEF POLICE | 20 | $145,061.00 |
| THOMAS W. CANNON | ASST CHIEF POLICE | 26 | $144,814.00 |
| ROY BROWN | POLICE MAJOR | 33 | $134,766.00 |
| GEORGE R. CADAVID | POLICE MAJOR | 27 | $132,737.00 |
| MIGUEL A EXPOSITO | POLICE MAJOR | 33 | $131,649.00 |
| LUIS M. PEREZ | POLICE MAJOR | 27 | $131,649.00 |
| ANNE MARIE CHILDRESS | POLICE MAJOR | 26 | $131,649.00 |
| HECTOR F MARTINEZ | POLICE MAJOR | 32 | $131,649.00 |
| BRENDA S. WILLIAMS | POLICE MAJOR | 35 | $131,649.00 |
Benefits
According to the Miami Police Department website, the following benefits are available for employees:[5]
- Pension plan
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Deferred compensation
- Special assignment pay
- Take-home vehicle policy
- Paid holidays
- Annual leave
Vehicle policy
According to the 2007-2010 collective bargaining agreement, all sworn unit members were given a 24-hour vehicle:[6]
- Can be used for work related purposes and commuting to and from work
- Can only be used for personal reasons within the city of Miami
- Cannot be used to transport a passenger unrelated to city business
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.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7]
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
- ↑ Florida Has a Right to Know
- ↑ Wages and Benefits (dead link)
- ↑ "Miami Herald" City of Miami Employee Salaries
- ↑ Wages and Benefits (dead link)
- ↑ 2007-2010 collective bargaining agreement
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
