If Governor Rick Scott gets his way, Florida’s correctional and probation officers will receive a pay bump.
Back in December, Governor Rick Scott announced his budget proposal includes more than $11 million dollars for sworn law enforcement officers. Now, Scott has announced $38 million will go toward raising the minimum salaries for corrections and probation officers. It also includes another $5 million for a one-time $1,000 signing bonuses for correctional officers hired at institutions with high vacancy rates.
“We’ve got raises for Department of Corrections,” said Scott, speaking to reporters at the AP's annual Legislative Planning Session. “We’ve got raises for sworn officers. We’ve basically got bonuses—it’s similar to what I’ve done in the past with regard to bonuses. I mean the legislature will go through that. Look, we have great state workers. You really have to thank people for what they do. The people who work in state government are on a mission. They really try to do their job really well. So, I think we’ve got to make sure we pay them well.”
$2.5 million will also go toward raising the base rate of pay for mental health correctional officers. Meanwhile, the Senate’s budget is still slated to include a pay bump for all state workers.
“I would expect to see a pay raise for state employees in the Senate budget,” said Senate President Joe Negron. “The amount of that to be determined by the people responsible for that decision. But, I think the Senate budget will contain a pay raise, due to Senator [Jack] Latvala—the Appropriations chair—making that a top priority for him.”
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