Double dipping rises despite outrage

[marketcrazy1]

TALLAHASSEE — This year some of Florida's public officials are giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "home for the holidays.''

It's a new crop of double dippers, taking advantage of a loophole in state law that allows them to "retire'' by taking 30 days off and return to work in their old jobs with a salary and a pension. Many also collect a lump-sum "retirement'' payment that can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At least 25 of those spending December at home were re-elected in November — sheriffs, property appraisers, court clerks and tax collectors, six circuit judges and one state attorney.

None announced their "retirement'' plans before voters cast their ballots, and most have not made any public announcement of the resignation letters they have written to Gov. Charlie Crist.

Earlier this year when the St. Petersburg Times began looking at double- and even triple-dippers, the state retirement system had about 8,000 members collecting paychecks and pensions at the same time. By June that number had risen to 9,397, and it's still growing.

The double-dippers include at least 220 elected officials, an increase of about 40 since last year. An additional 175 are in high-paid senior management positions, up from 146 last year.

The remaining 9,022 are regular employees who work for state or local government. Their salaries are substantially lower.

The newcomers include the state's longest serving sheriff, David Harvey of Wakulla County; North Florida State Attorney Willie Meggs; Broward Circuit Judge Melvin B. Grossman; and Lee County Property Appraiser Kenneth Wilkinson, who worked hard to pass Save Our Homes, a constitutional amendment that limits the property taxes Floridians pay.

A candidate who lost to Wilkinson is considering a court challenge that would question the legality of resigning and returning to office in the face of a constitutional provision that declares the office vacant when an official resigns.

In Broward County, teacher union officials are calling for an investigation of school superintendent Jim Notter for authorizing the rehire of 36 highly paid administrators who will return as double-dippers.

Notter said he allowed administrators to return after retiring only in critical situations when the safety and security of students is at stake. He said 14 of the 36 administrators who have been allowed to double-dip were administrators who returned to the classroom as teachers.

Meggs said he simply changed his mind about plans to retire. "It's my cotton-picking money,'' he said of deciding to collect a lump sum benefit of $519,995, his $153,139 annual salary and a monthly pension of $7,749. ----read the rest, SICKENING! --- http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/article950391.ece

[donco6]

1. It's allowed here in CO, but only to 110 days per calendar year.

One month break required. Still have to contribute to PERA at 8%. The government has to contribute 12%.

There's talk of requiring the employee to pay all the 20%.

[David Dunham]

2. This needs to be stopped ASAP!!!!

[notesdev]

3. I call them thieves

terms like 'double-dippers' are too fancy for me.

[Merlot]

4. wow. "loophole" like it's some kind of accident that it's there

hey, it's not like they wrote this into the law. Oh, no, it's just a loophole that somehow got in there.

I hate it when ever I hear the word loophole, because it takes away all the responsibility. Like the "loophole" of SUV's in the tax code. Yea, there's another accident that just "happened."

[shanti]

5. in california

they have "retired annuitants". you can retire, and come back to work, but it's not full time. i think it's limited to 9 calendar months of the year.