JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite calls from a state representative, Jacksonville City Council members and other elected officials in Duval County, the governor's office will not investigate Jacksonville's Police and Fire Pension Fund.
Rep. Janet Adkins wrote to the governor in December, saying the public's trust had been broken and she wanted to know if laws were broken as well.
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Melinda Miguel, chief inspector general with Gov. Rick Scott's office, sent Adkins a letter Tuesday saying her office received the request for a review, but added, "It appears that your concerns would be more appropriately handled at the local level."
The letter goes on to say: "If you are aware of specific criminal violations, you may refer this information to local law enforcement or the state attorney's office."
Adkins reacted to the inspector general's letter saying she respects how other public officials' decision even when she disagrees with them.
"Clearly, the public trust is broken as it relates to how the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund has handled its responsibilities," Adkins wrote. "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."
There is a $1.6 billion deficit in funding Jacksonville's retired police and firefighters, and the struggle to reach an agreement between the city and the pension fund has dragged on for years. The board reached an agreement with Mayor Alvin Brown in June 2013, but it was negotiated in private meetings and found to be in violation of Florida's Sunshine Law. It was subsequently rejected by the City Council.
A new agreement reached last summer has been approved once by the City Council, but the pension fund has pushed back for changes, including cost-of-living changes and the length of the agreement.