The surrogate
It begins with a woman who yearns for a baby and another who is willing and able to give her one. You can imagine the motives of the prospective parents. But what about the woman willing to carry a baby, give birth and then walk away?
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TALLAHASSEE — What's the difference between a bonus and a temporary merit-based increase?
That's the question at the heart of a debate going on between a Lakeland state senator facing a re-election challenge and the head of the state's environmental regulatory agency.
Republican Sen. J.D. Alexander sent a letter Thursday asking Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Sole where he got the authority to distribute roughly $78,000 in bonuses to staffers in the agency's general counsel's office in a bad budget year.
Alexander runs a state Senate panel that oversees the governmental operations budget, so he can ask such questions. He pointed to state laws that say the Legislature has to sign off on lump-sum salary bonuses.
"While I appreciate the need to compensate individuals for outstanding job performances, it appears that these special pay increases are in conflict with Florida statutes, and were not approved by the Legislature," Alexander wrote about the issue, which he started talking to the agency about two months ago.
But Sole maintains that agencies have the authority to grant merit-based pay hikes. He said he distributed the hikes in an effort to "retain experienced employees" and to prevent them from fleeing to the private sector. These hikes averaged about $2,000 per employee. He called the hikes temporary and merit-based.
The Florida Legislature usually spells out in the annual budget, as it did this year, that each agency head can give merit increases to employees based on exemplary performance.
It could be a showdown some time after November, as Alexander asked Sole to "anticipate" explaining the pay issue to the Legislature, as soon as the new committees are organized.
Sole said he takes "full responsibility for the situation," and said he's "prepared to answer any further questions" on the issue.
[Last modified: Aug 28, 2008 12:03 PM]
Comments on this article
by Jerry
Aug 28, 2008 12:03 PM
What a joke $2000 a person its amazing that everyone performed exemplary the public sector would love to know how they did that Crist and FL goverments foolish spending continues while they cry more taxes trying to trick us with bait/switch tax plans
by john
Aug 28, 2008 12:03 PM
JD isn't from Lakeland. I'm sure both he and Paula would like that corrected.
by James
Aug 28, 2008 12:03 PM
Pay to keep them? Why not promote from within or hire outside this smells oddly familar to double triple dipping are you telling me all of these people performed OUSTANDINGLY? This is the type of irresponsible spending that FL does with our tax money
by Marco
Aug 28, 2008 12:03 PM
You really have to appreciate Sen. Alexander making sure that no extra state money heads towards employees! DEP could have spent the money on more kayaks at parks - why let the Secretary retain experienced employees..find something real Alexander...
by Ted
Aug 28, 2008 11:13 AM
So, is it a merit based increase or is it to stop them from fleeing to the private sector? It can't be both. Let them leave, there are plenty of people willing to the job for less money.
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