© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Groups Form Coalition, Want Local Pension Reform Revisited In 2015

Sascha Cordner
/
WFSU-FM

A coalition of business and policy groups want lawmakers to pass a fix to a troubled local pension system in 2015, after he issue died during the 2014 session when it got tied to a controversial overhaul of the Florida Retirement System. The municipal pension reform mainly affects local police and firefighters.

There are more than 490 local pension plans in Florida—most of them underfunded. That’s according to the coalition, calling itself Taxpayers for Sustainable Pensions. The group says there’s about an $11 billion deficit in local pension funding statewide. And, Florida TaxWatch’s Chief Research Officer Robert Weissert says if something isn’t done in the long-term, the alternative would be bad for those expecting their retirement package.

“The people who are really going to be left holding the bag when the pension obligations come due and can’t be paid are going to be the First Responders and to those whom the promises were made,” said Weissert, during a press conference Tuesday.

According to the coalition—which includes the Florida League of Cities and Associated Industries of Florida—the Florida Legislature in the late 1990s imposed mandates on local governments that have made local police and firefighter pensions unsustainable. In the past, it’s been an issue cities and the unions have not been able to agree on, but the initial bipartisan bill that died this year to repeal those restrictions was a product widely supported by both sides.

Other members of the coalition include Americans for Prosperity, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, and R Street Institute.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.