CENTRAL FLORIDA,None — Governor Rick Scott laid out his state budget in Eustis on Monday. In it, he's trying to put a stop to the DROP program. That program lets government managers draw pensions and six-figure salaries.
READ: List Of People Who Receive Salary, Pension From State
WFTV dug deeper to find out how many workers are double-dipping and what it's costing you.
The IRS bans anyone from drawing a pension and a salary for the same job if they haven't reached retirement age, but Florida encourages state and local government workers to do just that.
"If I'm taking retirement, I should be retired, but these guys don't seem to get that," said Rich Templin, AFL-CIO.
Double-dippers have cost state taxpayers around $300 million a year in paychecks on top of their pensions.
"I don't feel retired," Bill Hall, of Brevard County Schools, told WFTV.
"But you are collecting retirement," WFTV reporter Eric Rasmussen said to him.
"Sure, but that's part of the program," he replied.
Hall collects more than $3,700 a month in retirement from Brevard County Schools and a $102,000 a year salary with Brevard County Schools. Like many others, he is not breaking any state laws.
"It's a program that's put in place by the state of Florida and it was available to employees," Hall explained.
Under the law, government workers have been allowed to retire, wait at least 30 days, and then return to work. WFTV found 588 doing it in Central Florida alone.
"The taxpayers, the hard-working families, the senior citizens, the small business owners, heck, even the over one-million unemployed are paying for these people," said Dominic Calabro, Florida TaxWatch.
Even former secretary of state Kurt Browning is collecting retirement and salary since he retired from Governor Crist's team and joined Governor Scott's team in the same position. The Governor has not yet released Browning's earnings, even though it's public record.
State lawmakers did change the rules going forward, requiring workers to "sit out" six months instead of 30 days.
"We've got to make smart adjustments," Florida Speaker of the House Dean Cannon told WFTV.
They also need to hope the IRS doesn't crack down. WFTV learned that tax attorneys have warned the state that double-dipping can violate federal tax rules, and could force workers to repay pensions and even cost the state its tax-exempt status. Again, that may only be a problem with the IRS if the person takes the same job.
The state allows double-dipping to maintain what it calls "institutional knowledge" and to compete with the private sector. Supporters say they've earned the retirement money and shouldn't be faulted for benefiting from a program offered by the legislature.
WFTV
