Florida Statutes § 445.08 — Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program.

445.08 Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program.—(1) For the purposes of this section, the term:(a) “Commission” means the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission within the Department of Law Enforcement. (b) “Employing agency” has the same meaning as provided in s. 943.10(4). (c) “Law enforcement officer” has the same meaning as provided in s. 943.10(1). (d) “Newly employed officer” means a person who gains or is appointed to full-time employment as a certified law enforcement officer with a Florida criminal justice employing agency on or after July 1, 2022, and who has never before been employed as a law enforcement officer in this state. (e) “Program” means the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program. 1(2)(a) There is created within the department the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program to aid in the recruitment of law enforcement officers within the state. The purpose of the program is to administer one-time bonus payments of up to $5,000 to each newly employed officer within the state. (b) Bonus payments provided to eligible newly employed officers are contingent upon legislative appropriations and shall be prorated subject to the amount appropriated for the program. (3) Each bonus payment shall be adjusted to include 7.65 percent for the officer’s share of Federal Insurance Contribution Act tax on the payment. 1(4) The department shall develop an annual plan for the administration of the program and distribution of bonus payments. Applicable employing agencies shall assist the department with the collection of any data necessary to determine bonus payment amounts and to distribute the bonus payments, and shall otherwise provide the department with any information or assistance needed to fulfill the requirements of this section. At a minimum, the plan must include:(a) The method for determining the estimated number of newly employed officers to gain or be appointed to full-time employment during the applicable fiscal year. (b) The minimum eligibility requirements a newly employed officer must meet to receive and retain a bonus payment, which must include:1. Obtaining certification for employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer pursuant to s. 943.1395. 2. Gaining full-time employment with a Florida criminal justice agency. 3. Maintaining full-time employment as a law enforcement officer with a Florida criminal justice agency for at least 2 years from the date on which the officer obtained certification. The required 2-year employment period may be satisfied by maintaining full-time employment at one or more employing agencies, but such period must not contain any break in service longer than 180 calendar days. (c) The standards by which the department will determine under what circumstances a break in service is acceptable. A law enforcement officer must provide documentation to the department justifying a break in service. For purposes of this section, the term “break in service” means a period of time during which the person is employed with a Florida criminal justice agency but is not employed as a full-time law enforcement officer or a period of time during which the person is in between employment as a full-time law enforcement officer for no longer than 15 days. The time period for any break in service does not count toward satisfying the 2-year full-time employment requirement of this section. (d) The method that will be used to determine the bonus payment amount to be distributed to each newly employed officer. (e) The method that will be used to distribute bonus payments to applicable employing agencies for distribution to eligible officers. Such method should prioritize distributing bonus payments to eligible officers in the most efficient and quickest manner possible. (f) The estimated cost to the department associated with developing and administering the program and distributing bonus payment funds. (g) The method by which an officer must reimburse the state if he or she received a bonus payment under the program, but failed to maintain continuous employment for the required 2-year period. Reimbursement shall not be required if an officer is discharged by his or her employing agency for a reason other than misconduct as designated on the affidavit of separation completed by the employing agency and maintained by the commission. The department may establish other criteria deemed necessary to determine bonus payment eligibility and distribution. (5) The department shall consult quarterly with the commission to verify the certification of newly employed officers and affidavits of separation submitted to the commission which detail officer misconduct. (6) The department shall submit the plan to the Executive Office of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the chair of the House Appropriations Committee by October 1 of each year. The department is authorized to submit budget amendments pursuant to chapter 216 as necessary to release appropriated funds for distribution to applicable employing agencies under this program. (7) The funding allocation for the bonus payments must be used solely to comply with the requirements of this section, but applicable collective bargaining units are not otherwise precluded from wage negotiation. (8) The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. 1(9) This section expires July 1, 2026.