Crist shakes the GOP money tree in D.C.

The governor heads to Washington Saturday for a meeting of the Southern Governors Association, and his office released a schedule of two events. But what's the point of going to DC and not grabbing the wallets of special interests on behalf of the Republican Party of Florida? The people's governor is the guest of honor at a private $5,000 soft-money reception Saturday at the Willard Hotel. Note those ubiquitous names on the host committee.     

Comments

[Tipper]

Crist and Greer will probably drive by the VPs home and the RNC , slap each other on back and say "someday soon my friend" You Laugh , it may very well happen !

Perhaps McCain will offer Crist the White House Press Secretary position. He'd be in front of cameras on a daily basis and would only have to read talking points. All he'd have to say is no comment, or I'll get back to you if he doesn't know the answer to a question. However, he would have to work 5-6 days per week, which could cause a problem.

You guys are dumbasses and have no idea what you are talking about. Gov. Crist works tirelessly for the good of the State of Florida. Just because he isn't behind his desk in Tallahassee doesn't mean he isn't working. He is governor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I'd like to see some of you keep his schedule.

You guys are dumbasses and have no idea what you are talking about. Gov. Crist works tirelessly for the good of the State of Florida. Just because he isn't behind his desk in Tallahassee doesn't mean he isn't working. He is governor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I'd like to see some of you keep his schedule.

[LilSis]

was told Brian Ballard and Dan Berger are taking Chuckie around to meet with the newspapers up in Washington, like Roll Call, The Hill, Politico and Washington Post. Chuckie soooooo wants to be VP.

I would like to see Chickie keep the schedule of an average Floridian raising a family and making the mortgage payment... oh yeah... nevermind

And to all who did not support Charlie Crist in at this event, Chairman Greer would like to have lunch with you as soon as he gets back from DC.( he'll bring the Hammer)

With the NY Times story this week I would be careful about lobbyist and Mccain/Crist...whose plane is everyone flying on to DC and who is paying the tab for the FRP? Be very careful, should someone ask these questions...perseption is everthing! Oh...and who owns that nice plane?

That's bull. Dan Berger and Brian Ballard are doing NO such thing with the DC press. All they are doing is raising money for Governor Crist and the Republican Party. Period.

[Gov't officials and bureaucrats love money. Bring Reagan back.]

TALLAHASSEE -- A growing number of elected officials are quietly taking advantage of a loophole carved into the state retirement law a few years ago that allows double dipping -- collecting a state pension while still getting a regular paycheck from taxpayers.

The cost of pensions for "retirees" who have returned to the payroll was around $300-million last year, according to the Florida Retirement System.

Records indicate that 211 elected officials in Florida -- including legislators, judges, sheriffs, circuit clerks, school board members and county commissioners -- have taken advantage of the benefit. Thirty-one signed up in the past six months.

Another 203 senior management employees and more than 7,763 regular state employees are collecting retirement benefits and full-time paychecks.

Collier County Judge Eugene C. Turner, first elected in 1983, won re-election in May 2006. He resigned effective Nov. 30 and returned to the bench Jan. 1, without any public announcement. He didn't even tell Collier Circuit Clerk Dwight Brock, who continued to assign him cases.

It was only last week, after a reporter's inquiries, that Brock discovered that Turner had retired for a month. "This was the best-kept secret in Collier County," Brock said.

Turner collects retirement benefits of $7,700 a month on top of his annual salary of $145,080.

Turner says he saved the state money by taking a month off, investing his own retirement money and accepting a retirement benefit that will not increase. He said he made sure other judges handled his cases the month he was gone.

Why didn't he inform the court clerk that he was going to be retired that month? Said Turner: "I didn't tell the school board or the tax collector either."

* * *

The loophole was created, as are so many in Tallahassee, on the last night of a legislative session, when few people notice what gets into bills flying through legislative hallways.

In 2001, lawmakers quietly amended a retirement bill, allowing elected officials to receive retirement benefits as well as regular pay while remaining in the same job. Sponsors said they were trying to help a few lawmakers who had been on school district payrolls before they won election to the Legislature.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-Port Richey, at the time a House member handling the retirement bill, said he did not realize that a fellow member's last-minute amendment would help so many people collect so much money.

"This is absolutely not what the Legislature intended," he said this week. "It's so sad when you have elected officials who want to take advantage of this."

Fasano said the law should be changed so public officials get either a salary or a pension, but not both. "They are taking advantages of some glitches in the law, and they know they are."

Most state employees getting a salary and a pension are enrolled in the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program, called DROP. It was created in 1998 to encourage retirement of highly paid, senior employees to make room for advances among younger, lower-paid employees.

To enter, employees who reach retirement age or 30 years of employment agree to retire within five years. When they leave the program they usually collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in deferred compensation.

With a supervisor's permission, nonelected employees must remain off the payroll for 30 days before they return to work. They also forfeit retirement benefits for a year.

* * *

Among the double dippers, the top moneymaker is Miami Dade Community College president Eduardo J. Padron.

On May 31, 2006, he terminated his participation in DROP, collected $893,286 in lump sum benefits and began receiving $14,631 a month in retirement pay. He still collects his annual salary of $328,860.

A spokesman for Padron said the president was asked to return to the job when he told board members he was retiring. Said communications director Juan Mendieta, "The process is perfectly legal and acceptable."

Former House Clerk John Phelps retired in 2005, took a month off and returned briefly to his old job at the request of House Speaker Allan Bense. Now he gets $5,728 a month retirement and a $138,138 salary as curator of the Historic Capitol.

Longtime Pasco Circuit Clerk Jed Pittman gets $6,242 a month retirement on top of his $136,576 salary. "It was there, and I wasn't ready to totally retire," he said. "So I took advantage of it. It's been a godsend to me."

Pasco County Commissioner Ann Hildebrand collects a monthly retirement check of $2,778, plus an annual salary of $78,895. She collected $143,196 in deferred compensation when she "retired" in 2005.

Hildebrand said she has explored ways to return some of her salary but hasn't found a way to give it back without having to pay income tax on the money.

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Ray E. Ulmer Jr. said he signed up for the program on the advice of state court officials when he had 30 years in the state retirement system. He wasn't ready to retire but thought "it would be foolish from a business standpoint not to do it."

Ulmer gets $10,408 a month in retirement in addition to his annual salary of $143,684. He also got $127,335 in deferred compensation. "I hope they don't take it back," Ulmer joked. "I have developed a certain standard of living."

Pinellas Property Appraiser Jim Smith said he entered the DROP program when he thought he was about to be term-limited out of office and thought he had been lucky to get the additional money. Smith gets retirement pay of $6,681 a month and a salary of $148,335. He took home $423,157 in deferred compensation in 2006.

Some officials collecting two paychecks retired from one government job before being elected to another. Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, retired as Citrus County sheriff in 1996 and started drawing a $7,516-a-month pension before he was elected to the Legislature in 2002.

Five other senators and 10 House members all get state pensions based on longtime government employment plus annual salaries of $31,000 for work as part-time lawmakers.

Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats says he had enrolled in a state retirement program before he ran for sheriff in 2003. Now, on top of his annual salary of $158,931, he collects $8,958 in retirement pay that is based on more than 30 years as a deputy. As he retired he collected $382,256 in deferred compensation.

Twenty-two sitting judges are double dipping, including Supreme Court Justice Harry Anstead. He collected $426,852 in deferred compensation, gets $7,596 a month retirement plus his $161,083 annual salary.

Anstead was chief judge when he collected retirement benefits in 2004. He decided to remain on the court after lawmakers tried to force him off the bench so Gov. Jeb Bush could appoint his replacement. Now he's scheduled to retire in January 2009.

The retirement payments are among the best-kept secrets in state government. When the St. Petersburg Times asked for a list of elected officials and senior management officers who are double dipping, the Department of Management Services said retiree lists are exempt from the public records law.

Gov. Charlie Crist ordered the list released. "These people aren't retired," said his public records "czarina," Pat Gleason. "They are formerly retired persons, and the statute was not designed to protect them, in my opinion."

Some information remains secret. When officials choose an investment plan instead of a pension and deferred compensation, the law exempts all information from the public record. That left the Times unable to identify the benefits received by about 45 of the state's double dippers.

Shown the newspaper's findings, Senate President Ken Pruitt was livid. He said those who have abused the retirement program may well have "killed the goose that laid the golden egg."

With budget shortfalls facing lawmakers, this is a perfect time to look at reforming the system, he said. "I wonder how many good professionals never got the opportunity for these positions because the people who had been there pushed them aside. This is totally unfair."

[Taxpayer money is a godsend so that he earns over 200K. Cut taxes and screw the bureaucrats.]

Longtime Pasco Circuit Clerk Jed Pittman gets $6,242 a month retirement on top of his $136,576 salary. "It was there, and I wasn't ready to totally retire," he said. "So I took advantage of it. It's been a godsend to me."

how many of our legislators receive retirement pay from cities and counties and a paycheck from the state? Triple dippers.

Charlie, did you read statute before you ordered the records released (provided below) - if you don't like the statute, have it changed... but I would say it is illegal to ignore the statute because "in your opinion" it does not apply to these folks... these statutes are provided to protect retirees (currently working or not) from being harassed by investers...

What if these folks retired from state employment and went into private practice? Would that be considered double-dipping? See comments below about how the retirement trust fund is funded - it is not costing the taxpayers any additional money...

While it may be considered a loophole, did anyone ever consider this to be a benefit for the citizens of Florida? By doing this, they are not costing the system any more money than if they simply left employment... and in actuality, the retiree forfeits months 2 through 12 of their retirement benefit... if they left, they would be replaced by someone else who would have been making just as much (and in many cases such as university president where new salaries are higher than the previous, it could be argued that they are saving the taxpayers)... plus, the taxpayers get the benefit of having someone who has on-the-job experience...

While I agree this may have the affect of not opening up the position to someone else... an employee has the option to continue to be employed without applying for retirement, which results in an even larger retirement check when they do end up retiring...

The retirement system is actuarially funded - meaning that they are not taking money they are not entitled to anyway and all contributions have been made, so it is not costing the employer any additional money.

I smell an ethics complaint coming...

F.S. 121.031 (5) The names and addresses of retirees are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) to the extent that no state or local governmental agency may provide the names or addresses of such persons in aggregate, compiled, or list form to any person except to a public agency engaged in official business. However, a state or local government agency may provide the names and addresses of retirees from that agency to a bargaining agent as defined in s. 447.203(12) or to a retiree organization for official business use. Lists of names or addresses of retirees may be exchanged by public agencies, but such lists shall not be provided to, or open for inspection by, the public. Any person may view or copy any individual's retirement records at the Department of Management Services, one record at a time, or may obtain information by a separate written request for a named individual for which information is desired.

F.S. 121.4501 (19) PARTICIPANT RECORDS.--Personal identifying information of a participant in the Public Employee Optional Retirement Program contained in Florida Retirement System records held by the State Board of Administration or the Department of Management Services is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

[Reagan was a POS and so are his minions. Cut taxes to destroy govt regulation so their corporate mas]

And your cut and paste posts straight from some fascist handbook are too long and tedious to be read by anyone.

To 11:06 pm - you are a colossal idiot. Charlie DOES NOT work for you 24/7. I'd love to have his job. He doesn't do sh!t in Tallahassee. Give me a break. I would gladly keep his schedule because it's nothing like the schedule us REAL people keep.

9:42,

I'd be happy if Chuck worked for us at least 1-hour a day.

RECALL "THE PEOPLE'S MISTAKE"

And just when Linda South had the opportunity to do something correct, she folds... my guess is that she got the call from the Governor's office and did not have the knowledge to be able to speak intelligently on the issue, so she had no way to rebut the directive and blindly broke the law... what is the saying? Ignorance is not...

ubiquitous?!?!

Adam beginning to use the big words.

My guess is that Linda South, in her usual, abrupt manner, had DMS blow Lucy off on her request instead of trying to help within the guidelines of the law...

There are a ton of upper management people in county governments who do this as well. It's no secret; it's openly discussed, and I've been hearing about for at least a year. But everybody says "it's legal."
I guess I'm mostly surprised that this surprisesd people.

BTW, seems like this deserves its own thread, since it has a lot of interest, and nothing to do with the topic posted.....

Yeah, surprised that they didn't create a blog since Lucy wrote the article...

Need some help Tally insiders please. I don't know and haven't heard of Berger, Bayliss, Roe and Sargent. Anyone of consequence?

lying HOs!!!!

Berger is SVP at a biz association

Bayliss is Partner at Tew-Cardenas

Roe is Managing Partner of Federal Strategy Group, part of Southern Strategy Group

Sargeant is American Petroleum

They are of no consequence except the fact that they are loaded and can write checks for $5k.

uugghhh! All of them are typical rich and powerful Republican snobs.

[LilSis]

I don't think they run here in Tallahassee anymore, they are lobbyists up in Washington, DC.

a reporter told me those 8 dudes raised over $150,000 today

By the way somebody forgot to mention that George is also in D.C with the Governor. Geez George is Eric ever going to be allowed to be Chief of Staff?????

Reads like the Tom Feeney host committees.

Thanks 3:51 and LilSis

George please leave Charlie alone. Eric can handle the job. Get a life. Arlene can handle Mccain and Erin is just fine with the national media. Stay home with your family thats why you left are so you said.

3:51- you didn't mention Ballard.

Isn't he there because he is Meredith's man? Oh and Charlie's too (he is a great fundraiser for Charlie)but more Meredith's undercover friend.

Would it not be a better ticket Obama and Crist? It is out about Obama and his gay activity. Google Obama in limo.

[Mcain insider]

the invitation should have at the top
"UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
VS"

TRUST ME THEY ARE LOOKING AT ALL THESE DUDES .

You are sooooo stupid McCain insider.

[no longer a cc supporter]

Is it too much to wonder why he is escorting a married woman (Carole Rome) to the Governor's dinner in DC? She was on the official guest list. How utterly inappropriate. Did she buy her own plane ticket or did she use MY taxpayer dollars to commit adultery??? Where is CC's brain lately? He needs to work on the promises he made to the people of Florida.