Greg Evers: “It’ll Be Snowing In Miami” When Pension Bill Passes

March 14, 2014

A law-enforcement union and one of the Republican senators who helped kill an overhaul of the state pension system last year came out Thursday against this year’s version of the revamp, appearing to further dim hopes for a compromise bill to pass.

“When it passes, it’ll be snowing in Miami,” Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, said. Evers’ district includes Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

Evers was one of a handful of renegade GOP senators who sank a more-sweeping pension overhaul last year. Supporters had hoped that carving out law-enforcement and emergency workers in this year’s legislation would make it easier for lawmakers like Evers to support.

But so far, the effort appears to have stalled. The Senate proposal (SB 1114) cleared the Community Affairs Committee by one vote last month after Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater, another one of the Republicans who voted against last year’s overhaul, opposed it.

Baker spoke at a press event with the Fraternal Order of Police, a law-enforcement union that is opposed to this year’s measure. James Preston, the president of the organization’s Florida State Lodge, said even exempting “special risk” workers didn’t make the proposal any more palatable to the organization.

He said those employees make up a small slice of people paying into the Florida Retirement System.

“If we’re carved out and all those other members are no longer putting into the system, eventually, that system is going to collapse, it’s going to destabilize because no fresh money’s coming in,” Preston said. “And it will eventually affect us. We know if we’re carved out this year, they’re coming back after us a year from now or two years from now.”

The pension-reform bill is one of the top priorities of House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville. Weatherford pushed a bill last year that would have moved all future retirees into a 401(k)-style investment plan, instead of the state’s traditional pension plan.

This year’s Senate proposal would still close the Florida Retirement System’s traditional pension plan to new employees after July 1, 2015, though those employees already in the system would remain. New hires would be required to choose between the investment plan and a “cash balance” plan, which in some ways would act like a 401(k) but would guarantee a minimum benefit.

Sen. Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican who has sponsored SB 1114, told a reporter as he left an unrelated committee meeting that he didn’t want to comment about the pension bill. When told that the Fraternal Order of Police had announced its opposition to the measure, Simpson said: “Now, there’s a shocker.”

Evers indicated his support could be won for the bill — if the Legislature agrees to a condition that even he said was incredibly unlikely.

“You give state employees, whether they’re wearing a uniform and carrying a gun or whether they’re sitting behind a desk, you give every employee a 50 percent pay raise, and then I think that we could take and redo the FRS,” he said.

By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida

Comments

6 Responses to “Greg Evers: “It’ll Be Snowing In Miami” When Pension Bill Passes”

  1. Bill Rayburn on March 18th, 2014 11:05 am

    That does it for my vote for Evers. ANY member of the state house or senate who wants to not make changes, will never get a vote from me. As I understand it, there are al least 3 different classifications, within the system, and you can retire from each of the 3. And some have. You receive a GURANTEED, annyal increase of no less than 3%, regardless of inflation. Inflation, I understand, but not the automatic 3%. If inflation is less, you get less. Thats the way Social Security works. And the amounts you can acrue under the “DROP’, program are obscene, as is the way the program is structured. So good by Mr. Evers. It will be snowing in Miami, before I vote for you. And I am in your district. To make the suggested changes to NEW, employees is a very fair way to do things, and I would go even further.

  2. Roy Skinner on March 14th, 2014 7:17 pm

    Greg Evers has been an outspoken advocate for Law Enforcement, and Corrections. He was instrumental in fending off privatization.

    Thank You Mr. Evers

  3. Susan on March 14th, 2014 3:45 pm

    And, state employees are not part of his constituency??? So, what do you think will happen when the carving continues and all that is left are those who are grandfathered? Where will that money come from to finish paying them? Either the pension will be cut off or your taxes will go up. What Evers did makes good economic sense. Glad to see he doesn’t just tow the party line.

  4. BP on March 14th, 2014 3:34 pm

    State Employees are among the people that elected him. And the FRS is one of the most solvent plans in the nation. And to add to that Florida State Employees are the lowest paid Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, Doctors, Nurses…. in the nation so believe me you are getting a great deal with what is paid into the FRS.

  5. SH on March 14th, 2014 8:50 am

    Sounds like Greg Evers is working for the state employees, not the people that elected him.

    The state should guarantee benefits already promised. It only makes sense for new hires to come into a more fiscally responsible plan, though. I doubt the state will have a hard time finding employees to hire even with a revamped retirement system.

  6. well on March 14th, 2014 7:58 am

    Thank you Mr. Evers!!!

    Hopefully the Fraternal Order of Police will announce their opposition to simpson,weatherford,chapel and all the gaetzs soon.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News