JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s not often you get candidates for public office agreeing on a controversial issue. But, that’s what is happening in the race for Jacksonville’s next mayor on the topic of police and fire pensions.
Something many thought was resolved six years ago when Jacksonville extended a sales tax to pay off growing pension debt--now, both mayoral candidates Republican Daniel Davis and Democrat Donna Deegan say we need to take another look at pensions--something the city just got rid of.
The mayor’s office told News4JAX the current plan is working, but some city union groups told us it’s not, and it’s something our next mayor, no matter who it is, needs to look at again.
Since Jacksonville no longer offers pensions to new hires, only 401K-type programs, many are bypassing Jacksonville for other cities that have better retirement programs.
“We really kind of got us a public safety crisis in front of us,” Randy Wyse, President of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, said. “We are having some serious recruitment issues. I will tell you that I’ve been told that there’s nobody on the hire list for the fire departments.”
During a recent forum, both Daniel Davis and Donna Deegan addressed the issue. Both said they don’t want to see a return to the city pension plan, but want to look at the possibility of switching to the Florida Retirement System and pay into that.
“At some point you can’t kick the can down the road on this forever,” Deegan said. “There is going to be some pain involved, but I do think at the end of the day we are going to have to go back or at least look seriously at going back to defined benefits I don’t have a timetable on that, I think it’s something we are going to have to look at if we want to obtain the best and the brightest.”
Davis said, “I will tell you that I have said all options are on the table. There is not a city pension that I would be willing to bring back. I would be willing to look at a state FRS pension. that is something that is data proven, and I would be willing to make sure we are obtain the best and the brightest.”
Pension reform is what Mayor Lenny Curry says is one of his biggest accomplishments. A statement from his office says it’s a success.
Mayor Curry led a bold, bipartisan movement to put in place a pension reform system which won 65% of taxpayer support on the ballot.
It has provided budgetary latitude that has allowed the administration to make a billion dollars of investment in infrastructure and quality of life needs throughout Jacksonville. It’s clear Mayor Curry’s policy is working.
News4JAX reached out to the president of FOP and the sheriff for comment as well and have not heard back.. The fire chief said today JFRD hired a recruit class of 66 firefighters on Monday, April 24, 2023 which exhausted our current list of applicants.