Fla. Stat. § 185.02 — Florida Code / Title XII / Chapter 185 / Section 185.02
185.02 Definitions.
Status: in_force

For any municipality, chapter plan, local law municipality, or local law plan under this chapter, the term:

(1) “Additional premium tax revenues” means revenues received by a municipality pursuant to s. 185.10 which exceed base premium tax revenues.

(2) “Average final compensation” means one-twelfth of the average annual compensation of the 5 best years of the last 10 years of creditable service before retirement, termination, or death.

(3) “Base premium tax revenues” means: (a) For a local law plan in effect on October 1, 2003, the revenues received by a municipality pursuant to s. 185.10 for the 2002 calendar year. (b) For a local law plan created between October 1, 2003, and March 1, 2015, inclusive, the revenues received by a municipality pursuant to s. 185.10 based upon the tax collections during the second calendar year of participation.

(4) “Casualty insurance” means automobile public liability and property damage insurance to be applied at the place of residence of the owner, or if the subject is a commercial vehicle, to be applied at the place of business of the owner; automobile collision insurance; fidelity bonds; burglary and theft insurance; and plate glass insurance. The term “multiple peril” means a combination or package policy that includes both property coverage and casualty coverage for a single premium.

(5) “Chapter plan” means a separate defined benefit pension plan for police officers which incorporates by reference the provisions of this chapter and has been adopted by the governing body of a municipality as provided in s. 185.08. Except as specifically authorized in this chapter, the provisions of a chapter plan may not differ from the plan provisions set forth in ss. 185.01-185.341 and ss. 185.37-185.39. Actuarial valuations of chapter plans shall be conducted by the division as provided by s. 185.221(1)(b).

(6) “Compensation” or “salary” means, for noncollectively bargained service earned before July 1, 2011, or for service earned under collective bargaining agreements in place before July 1, 2011, the total cash remuneration including “overtime” paid by the primary employer to a police officer for services rendered, but not including any payments for extra duty or special detail work performed on behalf of a second party employer. Overtime may be limited before July 1, 2011, in a local law plan by the plan provisions. For noncollectively bargained service earned on or after July 1, 2011, or for service earned under collective bargaining agreements entered into on or after July 1, 2011, the term has the same meaning except that when calculating retirement benefits, up to 300 hours per year in overtime compensation may be included as specified in the plan or collective bargaining agreement, but payments for accrued unused sick or annual leave may not be included. (a) Any retirement trust fund or plan that meets the requirements of this chapter does not, solely by virtue of this subsection, reduce or diminish the monthly retirement income otherwise payable to each police officer covered by the retirement trust fund or plan. (b) The member’s compensation or salary contributed as employee-elective salary reductions or deferrals to any salary reduction, deferred compensation, or tax-sheltered annuity program authorized under the Internal Revenue Code shall be deemed to be the compensation or salary the member would receive if he or she were not participating in such program and shall be treated as compensation for retirement purposes under this chapter. (c) For any person who first becomes a member in any plan year beginning on or after January 1, 1996, compensation for that plan year may not include any amounts in excess of the Internal Revenue Code s. 401(a)(17) limitation, as amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which limitation of $150,000 shall be adjusted as required by federal law for qualified government plans and further adjusted for changes in the cost of living in the manner provided by Internal Revenue Code s. 401(a)(17)(B). For any person who first became a member before the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 1996, the limitation on compensation may not be less than the maximum compensation amount that was allowed to be taken into account under the plan in effect on July 1, 1993, which limitation shall be adjusted for changes in the cost of living since 1989 in the manner provided by Internal Revenue Code s. 401(a)(17)(1991).

(7) “Creditable service” or “credited service” means the aggregate number of years of service and fractional parts of years of service of any police officer, omitting intervening years and fractional parts of years when such police officer may not have been employed by the municipality subject to the following conditions: (a) A police officer may not receive credit for years or fractional parts of years of service if he or she has withdrawn his or her contributions to the fund for those years or fractional parts of years of service, unless the police officer repays into the fund the amount he or she has withdrawn, plus interest as determined by the board. The member has at least 90 days after his or her reemployment to make repayment. (b) A police officer may voluntarily leave his or her contributions in the fund for 5 years after leaving the employ of the police department, pending the possibility of his or her being rehired by the same department, without losing credit for the time he or she has participated actively as a police officer. If he or she is not reemployed as a police officer with the same department within 5 years, his or her contributions shall be returned without interest. (c) Credited service under this chapter shall be provided only for service as a police officer or for military service and may not include credit for any other type of service. A municipality, by local ordinance, may provide for the purchase of credit for military service occurring before employment as well as prior service as a police officer for some other employer as long as the police officer is not entitled to receive a benefit for such prior service. For purposes of determining credit for prior service, in addition to service as a police officer in this state, credit may be given for federal, other state, or county service as long as such service is recognized by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission within the Department of Law Enforcement as provided in chapter 943 or the police officer provides proof to the board of trustees that such service is equivalent to the service required to meet the definition of a police officer. (d) In determining the creditable service of a police officer, credit for up to 5 years of the time spent in the military service of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be added to the years of actual service if: 1. The police officer is in the active employ of the municipality before such service and leaves a position, other than a temporary position, for the purpose of voluntary or involuntary service in the Armed Forces of the United States. 2. The police officer is entitled to reemployment under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. 3. The police officer returns to his or her employment as a police officer of the municipality within 1 year after the date of his or her release from such active service.

(8) “Deferred Retirement Option Plan” or “DROP” means a local law plan retirement option in which a police officer may elect to participate. A police officer may retire for all purposes of the plan and defer receipt of retirement benefits into a DROP account while continuing employment with his or her employer. However, a police officer who enters the DROP and who is otherwise eligible to participate may not be precluded from participation or continued participation in a supplemental plan in existence on, or created after, March 12, 1999.

(9) “Defined contribution plan” means the component of a local law plan, as provided in s. 185.35(1), to which deposits, if any, are made to provide benefits for police officers, or for police officers and firefighters if both are included. Such component is an element of a local law plan and exists in conjunction with the defined benefit component that meets minimum benefits and minimum standards. The retirement benefits, if any, of the defined contribution plan shall be provided through individual member accounts in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations and are limited to the contributions, if any, made into each member’s account and the actual accumulated earnings, net of expenses, earned on the member’s account.

(10) “Division” means the Division of Retirement of the Department of Management Services.

(11) “Enrolled actuary” means an actuary who is enrolled under Subtitle C of Title III of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and who is a member of the Society of Actuaries or the American Academy of Actuaries.

(12) “Local law municipality” means any municipality in which a local law plan exists.

(13) “Local law plan” means a retirement plan that includes both a defined benefit plan component and a defined contribution plan component for police officers, or for police officers and firefighters if both are included, as described in s. 185.35, established by municipal ordinance or special act of the Legislature, which sets forth all plan provisions. Local law plan provisions may vary from the provisions of this chapter if minimum benefits and minimum standards are met. However, any such variance must provide a greater benefit for police officers. Actuarial valuations of local law plans shall be conducted by an enrolled actuary as provided in s. 185.221(2)(b).

(14) “Minimum benefits” means the benefits specified in ss. 185.01-185.341 and ss. 185.37-185.50.

(15) “Minimum standards” means the standards specified in ss. 185.01-185.50.

(16) “Police officer” means any person who is elected, appointed, or employed full time by a municipality, who is certified or required to be certified as a law enforcement officer in compliance with s. 943.1395, who is vested with authority to bear arms and make arrests, and whose primary responsibility is the prevention and detection of crime or the enforcement of the penal, criminal, traffic, or highway laws of the state. The term includes all certified supervisory and command personnel whose duties include, in whole or in part, the supervision, training, guidance, and management responsibilities of full-time law enforcement officers, part-time law enforcement officers, or auxiliary law enforcement officers, but does not include part-time law enforcement officers or auxiliary law enforcement officers as those terms are defined in s. 943.10. For the purposes of this chapter only, the term also includes a public safety officer who is responsible for performing both police and fire services. Any plan may provide that the police chief shall have an option to participate in that plan.

(17) “Police Officers’ Retirement Trust Fund” means a trust fund, by whatever name known, as provided under s. 185.03 for the purpose of assisting municipalities in establishing and maintaining a retirement plan for police officers.

(18) “Retiree” or “retired police officer” means a police officer who has entered retirement status. For the purposes of a plan that includes a Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), a police officer who enters the DROP is considered a retiree for all purposes of the plan. However, a police officer who enters the DROP and who is otherwise eligible to participate may not be precluded from participation or continued participation in a supplemental plan in existence on, or created after, March 12, 1999.

(19) “Retirement” means a police officer’s separation from municipal employment as a police officer with immediate eligibility for benefits under the plan. For purposes of a plan that includes a Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), “retirement” means the date a police officer enters the DROP.

(20) “Special act plan” means a plan subject to the provisions of this chapter which was created by an act of the Legislature and continues to require an act of the Legislature to alter plan benefits.

(21) “Special benefits” means benefits provided in a defined contribution plan component for police officers.

(22) “Supplemental plan” means a plan to which deposits of the premium tax moneys as provided in s. 185.08 are made to provide special benefits to police officers, or police officers and firefighters if both are included. Such a plan is an element of a local law plan and exists in conjunction with a defined benefit plan component that meets minimum benefits and minimum standards. Any supplemental plan in existence on March 1, 2015, shall be deemed to be a defined contribution plan in compliance with s. 185.35(6).

(23) “Supplemental plan municipality” means a local law municipality in which any supplemental plan existed as of December 1, 2000.

History: s. 11, ch. 28230, 1953; s. 1, ch. 29825, 1955; s. 1, ch. 59-320; s. 1, ch. 61-85; s. 7, ch. 79-380; s. 2, ch. 79-388; s. 2, ch. 86-42; s. 43, ch. 91-45; s. 40, ch. 93-193; s. 939, ch. 95-147; s. 14, ch. 95-154; s. 42, ch. 99-1; s. 28, ch. 2000-151; s. 3, ch. 2000-159; s. 2, ch. 2002-66; s. 9, ch. 2009-97; s. 8, ch. 2011-216; s. 9, ch. 2015-39.