Judicial branch’s top budget request: employee pay raises
Judicial branch’s top budget request: employee pay raises
Senior Editor
When Chief Justice Jorge Labarga outlines his goals, rising to the top is securing cost-of living raises for court employees and judges who have gone without for more than seven years.
“We have judicial assistants who, in Miami where the cost of living is much higher, were actually being helped with food stamps,” Labarga said, of many court support staff whose salaries hover around the $30,000 mark.
Because of the Supreme Court’s landmark 4-3 decision in 2013 upholding a law requiring state employees to contribute to their pensions for the first time, it feels like their take-home pay has been dramatically cut.
So it comes as no surprise that State Courts Administrator PK Jameson has highlighted pay issues as the No. 1 priority in the judicial branch’s legislative budget request for FY 2015-16.
The Supreme Court requests second-year funding of $8,961,891, effective July 1, 2015, to “complete the necessity of addressing a wide range of salary issues affecting the State Courts System.”
Last year, the State Courts System requested $18,828,193 in a recurring salary appropriation, and proposed a two-year implementation period. The purpose was to retain highly skilled court employees and to bring equity with other government salaries. The 2014 Legislature provided $8,132,614 for the first-year implementation period.
“The courts very much appreciate the attention and support of the Legislature and governor last year in funding half of the staff pay inequity gap. This has been a tremendous help,” Jameson said. “While this funding went a long way, there are many classes of employees whose pay was not adjusted simply because the money ran out.
“The judges and employees of the state court system are some of the most dedicated and hardworking people you will meet. In order to keep pace with a highly competitive employment market for judges and court staff, it is vital that the state stay the course and continue to invest in stabilizing the court system for the benefit of all Floridians.”
Current judicial salaries are $138,019.92 for county judges; $146,079.96 for circuit judges; $154,140 for district courts of appeal judges; and $162,199.92 for Supreme Court justices. (Chief Justice Labarga noted that his pay this year was actually $151,000, mostly because of paying more for his pension.)
To attract qualified people to come to the bench, Chief Justice Labarga said, pay raises are essential.
“They are going to be giving up a lot of money to come here, regardless of how much we pay them,” Labarga said. “But the pain has to be a little less.
“It looks like the economy is showing every sign of recovery. We now have two or three years of positive climbing in the economy. Now that times are getting better, I am hoping that we will start getting back on track again to at least getting the cost-of-living raises every year that I think people who work very hard deserve.”
For judicial salary raises, no specific dollar amount is being requested, but the matter is also listed as a top priority.
“It is imperative that the State of Florida be able to recruit and retain quality judges,” according to the legislative budget request. “It only makes sense that the quality of justice for Florida’s citizens is directly impacted by the quality of the men and women that Florida elects or appoints as judges. And, it also seems obvious that competitive salaries are essential to the State’s ability to attract a high number of highly qualified attorneys willing to run and apply for judicial openings — or willing to stay on the bench for a full judicial career after their election or appointment.
“There have already been a number of qualified jurists who have left the bench early — as well as a demonstrable drop in qualified applicants — as salaries for Florida judges have seriously lagged behind inflation and behind attorney salaries in Florida, federal judicial salaries, and judicial salaries in comparable states.”
Also highlighted in the legislative budget request is a placeholder of $13,353,910 for 46 new judgeships that were certified in 2013 (SC13-2296) but not funded by the Legislature in 2014.
Those 46 new judgeships are seven circuit judges (two for the First Circuit; three in the Fifth Circuit; and one in the Seventh and Ninth circuits); and 39 county judgeships (11 in Miami-Dade County; six in Broward; five in Palm Beach; four in Duval; two in Orange, Hillsborough, and Lee; and one in Volusia, Lake, Citrus, Osceola, Manatee, Sarasota, and Seminole).
Among the other legislative budget requests is $20,980,798 in nonrecurring funds for 65 FTES for the Trial Court Technology Strategic Plan. It is described as “a placeholder” representing “the estimate of the resources that will be required to operationalize the multi-year comprehensive strategy for addressing trial court technology needs.”Another $1,486,121 ($1,348,393 nonrecurring) is requested to replace 67 routers for the wide-area network connecting the Supreme Court, district courts of appeal, circuit courts, and courts throughout the state.
“This legislative budget request reflects the reality of technological advancements within which the court system operates,” Jameson said.
“The courts must keep pace with that change through maintaining and modernizing technology. The days of hand-delivering paper case files and managing court operations on a ledger are quickly coming to a close. We must keep pace by adequately funding technology, by recruiting and retaining highly skilled professionals, such as judges and court staff, and by ensuring that our courthouses are safe and secure for the citizens of Florida.”
