The Florida Senate

122.08  Requirements for retirement; classifications.--There shall be two retirement classifications for all state and county officers and employees participating herein as hereafter provided in this section:

(1)(a)  Any state or county officer or employee who has attained normal retirement age, which shall be age 60 for a person who had become a member prior to July 1, 1963, and age 62 for a person who had or shall become a member on or after July 1, 1963, and has accumulated at least 10 years' service in the aggregate within the contemplation of this law, and who has made or makes contributions to the State and County Officers and Employees' Retirement Trust Fund for 5 or more years as prescribed in this law, may voluntarily retire from office or employment and be entitled to receive retirement compensation, the amount of which shall be 2 percent for each year of service rendered, based upon the average final compensation, payable in equal monthly installments, upon his or her own requisition. Requisition requirements shall be set by the department.

(b)  Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, effective January 1, 1993, the normal retirement age for a member under this chapter is attained upon the member's completion of 30 years of creditable service in the aggregate.

(2)(a)  Any state or county officer or employee who has attained the age of 55 or more and has accumulated at least 10 years' service in the aggregate within the contemplation of this law and who has made or makes contributions to the State and County Officers and Employees' Retirement Trust Fund for 5 or more years as prescribed by this law but who is not eligible to retire in accordance with subsection (1) may elect to retire and receive a reduced benefit, which would be the actuarial equivalent of the benefits provided in paragraph (1)(a).

(b)  Any county officer or employee who has served as sheriff or a full-time deputy sheriff for the last 10 years or more of employment and has attained the age of 50 or more and accumulated at least 10 years' service in the aggregate within the contemplation of this law, and who has made or makes contributions to the State and County Officers and Employees' Retirement Trust Fund for 5 or more years, as prescribed by this law, but who is not eligible to retire in accordance with subsection (1), may elect to retire and receive a reduced benefit, which would be the actuarial equivalent of the benefits provided in paragraph (1)(a).

(3)  Any state or county officer or employee shall have the right at any time prior to receipt of his or her first monthly installment of retirement compensation to elect to receive a reduced retirement compensation with the provision that if such officer or employee dies after retirement compensation installments have commenced the excess if any of his or her total contributions made to the retirement trust fund, without interest, over the total retirement compensation received by him or her shall be paid in accordance with the beneficiary designation of this law. The amount of such reduced retirement compensation shall be the actuarial equivalent of the amount of such retirement compensation otherwise payable to him or her.

(4)(a)  Any state or county officer or employee shall have the right at any time prior to receipt of his or her first monthly installment of retirement compensation to elect to receive a reduced retirement compensation with the provision that the surviving spouse shall continue to draw such reduced retirement compensation, or one-half thereof if so designated, so long as such spouse shall live. The amount of such reduced retirement compensation shall be the actuarial equivalent of the amount of such retirement compensation otherwise payable to such officer or employee. Any state or county officer or employee who becomes eligible for retirement and continues to hold office or be employed shall be construed to have selected the option herein which will afford the surviving spouse the greatest amount of benefits. Should such officer or employee die before retiring, his or her surviving spouse shall be entitled to receive either the accumulated contributions of such officer or employee at the date of death or the reduced retirement compensation to which the surviving spouse would have been entitled under such option, calculated on the assumption that such officer or employee retired on the date of death; provided, that for all those persons who become members of the retirement system on or after July 1, 1963, the amount of retirement compensation otherwise payable to the member at the date of death shall be determined on the basis of a retirement age of 62 years. Any officer or employee shall have the right at the time of retirement to change the option so provided; and, should the option be changed or not at the time of retirement, such option shall be effective immediately upon retirement and thereafter may not be revoked.

(b)  A member who elects an option in paragraph (a) shall on a form provided for that purpose designate his or her spouse as beneficiary to receive the benefits which continue to be payable upon the death of the member. After such benefits have commenced under an option in paragraph (a), the retired member may change the designation of his or her spouse as beneficiary only twice. If such a retired member remarries and wishes to make such a change, he or she may do so by filing with the department a notarized change of spouse designation form and shall notify the former spouse in writing of such change. Upon receipt of a completed change of spouse designation form, the department shall adjust the member's monthly benefit by the application of actuarial tables and calculations developed to ensure that the benefit paid is the actuarial equivalent of the present value of the member's current benefit. The consent of a retired member's formerly designated spouse as beneficiary to any such change shall not be required.

(5)  Tables for computing the actuarial equivalent shall be approved by the department.

(6)  Any person retiring under the disability provision of this chapter shall not be entitled to the options of subsection (4).

(7)  No state or county official or employee who has a shortage in his or her accounts may retire or receive any benefits under this chapter so long as such shortage exists.

(8)  Any member of the retirement system whose rights have been preserved under s. 122.01(3) and who has had 30 years of service may exercise the option provided for in subsection (4) as it applies to persons who are eligible for normal retirement benefits.

(9)  Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter to the contrary, the following provisions shall apply to any officer or employee who has accumulated at least 10 years of service and dies:

(a)  If the deceased member's surviving spouse has previously received a refund of the member's contributions made to the retirement trust fund, such spouse may pay to the department an amount equal to the sum of the amount of the deceased member's contributions previously refunded and interest at 3 percent compounded annually on the amount of such refunded contributions from the date of refund until July 1, 1975, and thereafter at the rate of 6.5 percent interest compounded annually to the date of payment to the department, and by so doing be entitled to receive the monthly retirement benefit provided in paragraph (c).

(b)  If the deceased member's surviving spouse has not received a refund of the deceased member's contributions, such spouse shall, upon application to the department, receive the monthly retirement benefit provided in paragraph (c).

(c)  The monthly benefit payable to the spouse described in paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) shall be the amount which would have been payable to the deceased member's spouse, assuming that the member retired on the date of death and had selected the option in subsection (4) which would afford the surviving spouse the greatest amount of benefits, such benefit to be based on the ages of the spouse and member as of the date of death of the member. Such benefit shall commence on the first day of the month following the payment of the aforesaid amount to the department, if paragraph (a) is applicable, or on the first day of the month following the receipt of the spouse's application by the department, if paragraph (b) is applicable.

(10)  Upon the death of a retired member or beneficiary receiving monthly benefits under this chapter, the monthly benefits shall be paid through the last day of the month of death and shall terminate, or be adjusted, if applicable, as of that date in accordance with the optional form of benefit selected at the time of retirement.

History.--s. 9, ch. 29801, 1955; ss. 3-5, ch. 57-363; s. 1, ch. 57-210; s. 1, ch. 59-465; s. 2, ch. 61-119; s. 4, ch. 63-555; ss. 1, 2, 8, ch. 65-484; s. 8, ch. 69-82; ss. 31, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 69-132; s. 1, ch. 72-330; ss. 6, 10, ch. 74-328; s. 5, ch. 80-130; s. 7, ch. 85-246; s. 1, ch. 92-139; s. 786, ch. 95-147; s. 59, ch. 99-255; s. 35, ch. 2001-266.