Elected officers to get raise

Taxpayers pay commissioners nearly six figures

Serving as a county commissioner is now almost a six-figure job in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The state sets the salaries of elected county officials, but taxpayers foot the bill.

County commissioners and elected constitutional officers, such as the sheriff and the property appraiser, will see their pay jump by about 4 percent — the most since 2013, according to newly released figures. The raises automatically go into effect Oct. 1.

The salaries for Broward and Palm Beach county commissioners will rise from $96,031 to $99,997. That’s on top of health insurance, retirement benefits and other perks, such as a $550 monthly car allowance in Palm Beach County.

Unlike the other South Florida counties, Miami-Dade County does not tie commissioner compensation to the state. So commissioners in Florida’s most populated county only earn a base salary of $6,000 a year. Factoring in add-on perks, most report an income of $30,000 to $50,000, and voters have repeatedly shot down efforts to increase that amount.

Commissioner pay had been holding steady before this year in Broward and Palm Beach

counties, rising less than $300 during each of the previous three years. Salaries are based on population and raises given to state employees, said Steven O’Cain, a legislative analyst with the Office of Economic and Demographic Research.

“This was the first year in a number of years state employees have gotten an across-the-board raise,” he said. “That is sort of the driving factor this year.”

The last across-theboard raise for state employees came in 2013.

Dominic M. Calabro, president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, said he thinks county commissioners should be required to ratify salary increases in a roll-call vote.

“It is intended to be a citizen body — unlike the mayor or the county manager which is truly a fulltime job,” he said. “The bottom line is salaries shouldn’t be so high you become rich or so substandard that it is far too much of a sacrifice to provide this public service.”

While some view the job of county commissioner as a part-time occupation, Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams said he’s always on the clock talking with constituents, researching issues and participating in meetings.

“I could be practicing law but I don’t because I consider the county commission a full-time job, and I want to avoid potential conflicts,” Abrams said.

Nothing bars county commissioners from working other jobs while in office, and several list outside income in disclosure statements they file with the state. A 2011 state law allows elected officials to voluntarily reduce their pay.

Almost all elected officials, though, take their full salary, Calabro said. One exception includes MiamiDade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez who reduced his salary from $300,000 to $150,000. Gov. Rick Scott — who has a net worth of $149 million — turned down the governor’s salary of $130,273.

County commissioners in Broward and Palm Beach make more than school board members, who will earn $44,443 under the updated state figures. County commissioners also earn more than state legislators, who make $29,697 a year plus a $152 a day per diem when the Legislature is in session.

South Florida’s elected constitutional officers, who oversee agencies with hundreds of employees, earn more. Broward Sheriff Scott Israel has a base salary of $186,631, while Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s base salary is $178,404.

Judges, state attorneys and public defenders got a 10 percent bump in pay. Elected state attorneys and public defenders now make $169,554 a year, while circuit court judges earn $160,688.

Broward County Commissioner Mark Bogen said he thinks the system works because an outside agency determines his salary.

“I work hard every day for the people of my district, regardless of what I am paid,” he said.