The Florida Senate

185.35  Municipalities having their own pension plans for police officers.--For any municipality, chapter plan, local law municipality, or local law plan under this chapter, in order for municipalities with their own pension plans for police officers, or for police officers and firefighters where included, to participate in the distribution of the tax fund established pursuant to s. 185.08, local law plans must meet the minimum benefits and minimum standards set forth in this chapter:

(1)  PREMIUM TAX INCOME.--If a municipality has a pension plan for police officers, or for police officers and firefighters where included, which, in the opinion of the division, meets the minimum benefits and minimum standards set forth in this chapter, the board of trustees of the pension plan, as approved by a majority of police officers of the municipality, may:

(a)  Place the income from the premium tax in s. 185.08 in such pension plan for the sole and exclusive use of its police officers, or its police officers and firefighters where included, where it shall become an integral part of that pension plan and shall be used to pay extra benefits to the police officers included in that pension plan; or

(b)  May place the income from the premium tax in s. 185.08 in a separate supplemental plan to pay extra benefits to the police officers, or police officers and firefighters where included, participating in such separate supplemental plan.

The premium tax provided by this chapter shall in all cases be used in its entirety to provide extra benefits to police officers, or to police officers and firefighters, where included. However, local law plans in effect on October 1, 1998, shall be required to comply with the minimum benefit provisions of this chapter only to the extent that additional premium tax revenues become available to incrementally fund the cost of such compliance as provided in s. 185.16(2). When a plan is in compliance with such minimum benefit provisions, as subsequent additional tax revenues become available, they shall be used to provide extra benefits. For the purpose of this chapter, "additional premium tax revenues" means revenues received by a municipality pursuant to s. 185.10 that exceed the amount received for calendar year 1997 and the term "extra benefits" means benefits in addition to or greater than those provided to general employees of the municipality. Local law plans created by special act before May 23, 1939, shall be deemed to comply with this chapter.

(2)  ADOPTION OR REVISION OF A LOCAL LAW PLAN.--No retirement plan or amendment to a retirement plan shall be proposed for adoption unless the proposed plan or amendment contains an actuarial estimate of the costs involved. No such proposed plan or proposed plan change shall be adopted without the approval of the municipality or, where permitted, the Legislature. Copies of the proposed plan or proposed plan change and the actuarial impact statement of the proposed plan or proposed plan change shall be furnished to the division prior to the last public hearing thereon. Such statement shall also indicate whether the proposed plan or proposed plan change is in compliance with s. 14, Art. X of the State Constitution and those provisions of part VII of chapter 112 which are not expressly provided in this chapter. Notwithstanding any other provision, only those local law plans created by special act of legislation prior to May 23, 1939, shall be deemed to meet the minimum benefits and minimum standards only in this chapter.

(3)  Notwithstanding any other provision, with respect to any supplemental plan municipality:

(a)  Section 185.02(4)(a) shall not apply, and a local law plan and a supplemental plan may continue to use their definition of compensation or salary in existence on the effective date of this act.

(b)  Section 185.05(1)(b) shall not apply, and a local law plan and a supplemental plan shall continue to be administered by a board or boards of trustees numbered, constituted, and selected as the board or boards were numbered, constituted, and selected on December 1, 2000.

(c)  The election set forth in paragraph (1)(b) shall be deemed to have been made.

(4)  The retirement plan setting forth the benefits and the trust agreement, if any, covering the duties and responsibilities of the trustees and the regulations of the investment of funds must be in writing and copies made available to the participants and to the general public.

History.--s. 7, ch. 59-320; s. 2, ch. 61-119; s. 3, ch. 63-196; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 23, ch. 86-42; s. 47, ch. 93-193; s. 956, ch. 95-147; s. 74, ch. 99-1; s. 7, ch. 2002-66.