Tag: Florida pension investigation

Florida Lawmaker Turns to Legislature for Pension Audit

Florida

Florida Gov. Rick Scott recently shot down calls by state Rep. Janet Adkins and others for an investigation into Jacksonville’s Police and Fire Pension Fund.

Scott said the issue was a local matter and should be handled locally.

But Rep. Adkins is now asking her colleagues in the state legislature to help her investigate the pension fund and its deferred retirement option program.

From News 4 Jax:

Ongoing problems with the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund is the subject of a meeting of state lawmakers Monday.

The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee will consider a request by Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, for an audit of the pension fund.

Two weeks ago, Gov. Rick Scott’s chief inspector general turn downed Adkins’ request to investigate the pension. That request was joined by City Council President Clay Yarborough and the mayors of Atlantic and Neptune Beach.

Melinda Miguel, chief inspector general, wrote Adkins saying, “It appears that your concerns would be more appropriately handled at the local level.”

[…]

“Clearly, the public trust is broken as it relates to how the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund has handled its responsibilities,” Adkins said. “While I am disappointed that the Chief Inspector General has decided not to investigate the concerns I raised regarding the Jacksonville Fire and Police Pension Fund, I am committed to seeking a review of the pension fund and the questions that have surfaced over the last year.”

Specifically, Rep. Adkins wants an investigation into whether regulations were broken in the administration of the pension fund’s DROP.

 

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott Rejects Call for State Investigation Into Jacksonville Pension Fund

Florida

A state lawmaker, Jacksonville city council members and others have called repeatedly for a state investigation into the city’s Police and Fire Pension fund since late 2014.

Specifically, they want an investigation into whether regulations were broken in the administration of the fund’s DROP.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott finally addressed the issue on Tuesday, and declined to launch a state investigation. The matter, his office said, should be “handled on the local level”.

More from the Florida Times-Union:

Gov. Rick Scott rejected Tuesday state Rep. Janet Adkins’ request for him to call for an investigation of the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund.

Scott’s office will deliver Adkins a letter today signed by his chief inspector general, Melinda Miguel, who wrote that her office was choosing to stay out of the pension issues in Jacksonville.

“Based on our review, it appears that your concerns would be more appropriately handled at the local level,” Miguel wrote. “If you are aware of specific criminal violations, you may refer this information to local law enforcement or the state attorney’s office.”

Adkins’ letter to Scott on Dec. 15 requested that he assign his inspector general and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into the pension fund’s operations to see if any state laws or regulations had been broken.

Adkins cited Times-Union coverage of Jacksonville’s pension issues in describing why she felt a state investigation was warranted.

The Atlantic Beach City Commission and various members of the Jacksonville City Council, including President Clay Yarborough, sent letters of support backing Adkins’ request.

This doesn’t mean, however, that Florida is letting pension funding slip under the radar. The state sent out letters to 19 pension funds last month demanding that they formulate a plan to shore up their funding levels.

 

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