Trusted Advisor to The Thin Silver Line Alliance Monroe County Sheriff's Office Captain Jon Crane and PBA State VP James Baiardi Make Progress for Both State and County Correctional Officers in Tallahassee.

The 2023 Florida legislative session is scheduled to begin March 07, & The Thin Silver Line Alliance has 3 Petitions for Correctional Officers To Sign and Share

TALLAHASSEE, FL, UNITED STATES, December 13, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to begin on March 07, 2023. We need to make certain that we can get enough people to sign these 3 petitions so that we can convince the Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis to; 1) amend HB 5007: State-administered Retirement Systems to Include Correctional Officers so that correctional officers at both the state and county levels are included in the legislation (option for additional 36 months of Drop participation), 2) amend HB 3: Law Enforcement so that correctional officers at both the state and county levels are included in the legislation, and 3) so that we can have language added to the General Appropriations Bill for 2023 that will ensure that county correctional officers and detention deputies are paid the second recognition payment that they should have been paid in 2022 and that we are included in any possible recognition payments for 2023 and beyond.

Please sign these petitions with other correctional officers and have them forward it to others.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Owes County Correctional Officers Their Second Recognition Payment Petition

If you are a Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission (CJSTC) certified and sworn county correctional officer or detention deputy in the State of Florida, then Governor Ron DeSantis, State of Florida CFO Jimmy Petronis and the Florida Congress owe you a second recognition payment ($1,000).

Why is this important?

In 2020, during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, county correctional officers and detention deputies were deemed essential first responders and were made to leave their families everyday during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic to risk their lives by working in our state's prisons and jails. The conditions were absolutely horrific and many correctional officers (219 correctional officers died from Covid-19 in 2020 according to One Voice) and inmates died during these most tragic of times. In 2021, county correctional officers and detention deputies received the first round of recognition payments for sworn law enforcement officers and essential first responders from Governor DeSantis.

Now, when you read the following excerpts cited directly from the Governor's website keep in mind that in 2022 the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) informed county correctional officers and detention deputies that they were no longer eligible to receive the 2nd round of recognition payments for sworn law enforcement officers and essential first responders.

"On March 31, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis in Ponte Vedra Beach and West Palm Beach to announce that Florida first responders employed by local governments will receive $1,000 bonuses in 2022. This was the second consecutive year of bonuses for first responders including police officers, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics, EMTs and firefighters throughout the state. The bonuses are included in the 2022-23 budget passed by the Florida Legislature during the 2022 Legislative Session." (DeSantis, 2022)

"On September 12, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis stated these recognition payments were a part of the Freedom First Budget signed by the Governor earlier this year. Eligible recipients of the first responder recognition bonus payments are police officers, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and firefighters employed by local governments throughout the state." (DeSantis, 2022)

“Florida supports our first responders because these men and women put on their uniforms every day to serve and protect,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These bonuses are a token of our appreciation for the work that they do and the sacrifices they make to keep Florida safe. I am happy to deliver the bonuses for a second year in a row!” (DeSantis, 2022)

*The correctional officers at the FDOC received a second bonus payment of $1,500 December of 2021 so this is for county.

Amendment to HB 3 Petition: Law Enforcement to Include Correctional Officers

On lines: 114-115, 191-192, 225-226, 630-631, 731-732, and 790-791 of the current legislation add the following language;
effective July 1, 2023 “Law enforcement officer" means a law enforcement officer or correctional officer as those terms are defined in s. 943.10(1) and (2).”

Why is this important?

HB 3 passed in July of 2022, and was celebrated on Governor DeSantis’ website as being “the Strongest Law Enforcement Recruitment and Support Initiative in the Nation” (DeSantis, 2022). The fact that correctional officers (COs) and detention deputies (DDs) were excluded from this “landmark” law enforcement bill is a second major reason why The Thin Silver Line Alliance (TTSLA) is heading to Tallahassee. There does not appear to be any good or logical reason why COs and DDs were left out from receiving the benefits offered to LEOs.

For example, one of the most noteworthy benefits makes an LEO in Florida eligible for a benefit of $25,000 for adopting a child who has special needs or $10,000 for adopting a child who does not have special needs. Clearly, making COs and DDs eligible for this benefit would first and foremost serve the needs of children waiting to be adopted so why not make COs and DDs eligible as well? May God bless these children waiting to be adopted with new families this year.

Other benefits in HB3 include the wellness training Resiliency Behind the Badge, scholarships for the children of LEOs, recruitment incentives, bonuses, and qualification waivers for veterans that the Corrections profession in Florida could most certainly benefit from.

Amendment to HB 5007 Petition:

In HB 5007: State-administered Retirement Systems add special risk class s. 121.0515(3) (c) so that it reads as:

“d. Effective July 1, 2023, a member of the Special Risk Class who is a law enforcement officer or correctional officer who meets the criteria in s. 121.0515(3) (a) and (c) and who is a DROP participant on or after July 1, 2022, may participate in DROP for up to 36 calendar months beyond the 60-month period if he or she enters DROP on or before June 30, 2028.”

Why is this important?

Correctional Officers and Detention Deputies are just as deserving of this retirement benefit as are other law enforcement officers such as road patrol officers and detectives.

Jeffrey A. Snipes
The Thin Silver Line Alliance
+1 305-395-0095
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