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Latvala Vows Help For Department Of Corrections Employees
March 27, 2017
With the Florida Department of Corrections asking to boost pay for entry-level employees to help fight turnover, “help is on the way from the Florida Senate,” according to the chamber’s top budget-writer.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, told his panel that he and other Senate leaders had agreed to help the agency try to stop the outflow of correctional officers to higher-paying private-sector and local jobs.
“Our budget will include some substantial help for you,” Latvala told Corrections Secretary Julie Jones, who presented a pay plan to the committee. Latvala said the details were still being hammered out, in part because state economists will meet to project how much money lawmakers will have to work with as they craft a budget for the year that begins July 1.
Jones told the committee her plan has three prongs: raising pay for correctional officers, probation officers and some supervisors; a hiring bonus for some employees at facilities with high vacancy rates; and additional pay for those who work with inmates with mental-health problems.
The department has already taken some steps to try to tamp down turnover among its newest employees, Jones said, by strengthening penalties meant to recoup training costs for those who leave the agency within their first two years. “But I truly believe that without some kind of a pay package for recruitment and retention, we have nothing left to offer employees to keep them beyond those two years,” she said.
by The News Service of Florda
Comments
4 Responses to “Latvala Vows Help For Department Of Corrections Employees”
We all need raises not only the officers but Classification Officers and administration personnel as we work hands on with inmates. not only the officers but we as well has not has not had a raise in over 7+ years. We need to be considered as well and our amount of time with Department of Corrections with degrees.
The Florida Department of Corrections does not value experience ! Never have, never will !
CO, what about those that have been FORCED to retire before they really needed to (you know the State’s so called turn-over). These Officers and above no longer fit the image, and now they have hired a bunch of wet behind the ears kids who have NO experience. Granted everyone starts with no experience and they must start somewhere, but they no longer have the experienced officers to back them up and show them the ropes. This does not make for a “safe and secure” situation.
Sign me Retired and living the dream!
So the ones that have been there a while(5+years) and have jumped through hoops for the DOC will get nothing! That is very disappointing and discouraging to us all.