Jeff Bergosh Blog: What Do Other Medical Examiners Around the State Make?

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I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following :

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

What Do Other Medical Examiners Around the State Make?

We've been paying our Medical Examiner nearly 3-times what the average Medical Examiner in Florida makes.....this is ending

This evening the BCC will vote on a stop-gap spending plan to fund our Medical Examiner (ME) for an additional 60 days.

This stems from some recent tension between the counties of the First Judicial Circuit and the the ME's office over pay for our Medical Examiner, which a recent audit revealed was nearly $800,000.00 per year under our previous arrangement.

Last week, the ME threatened to abruptly shut down operations over this pay issue. So we are working a temporary solution until we complete the circuitous process to bring a new ME aboard--which requires the Governor to approve based upon some statutory requirements.

We're being asked to fund a little over $60,000.00 dollars tonight (which equates to two months' worth of payment toward our 46% share of the ME's Circuit-wide salary budget [nearly $900K] under the previous salary arrangement)

Okaloosa County voted Tuesday NOT to do this.

Instead, Okaloosa County agreed to fund its pro-rata share of a reduced salary level of $450,000.00 total circuit-wide. Okaloosa's two month share under this proposal is just under $20,000 dollars.

Tonight I plan to follow suit with Okaloosa County and move we fund just two months' worth of our share (46%) of the same $450,000 salary level--$34,500.00 (over and above our 2-month share of the fixed costs.)

If we fully fund the percentage based on the previous salary level, in essence we will be subsidizing Okaloosa County; they would be receiving the same services at a much lower cost--which I do not support.

The 20 Judicial Circuits in Florida

The Medical Examiner, under the current structure makes nearly $800,000.00 yearly, which is too high for a public servant making a public wage. This salary is DOUBLE the salary of the President of the United States, and 5 times what our Superintendent of Schools makes. It is 4 times what our State Attorney and our County Administrator make. It is too much.

Public employees should make a public wage, not private sector wages. When someone from the private sector comes to work for the public sector, the wage is lower (e.g. Lawyers that make multi-million dollar salaries in private practice make just over $200,000.00 to serve as Federal Judges, The Governor who made Millions yearly in the private sector makes just $140,000 yearly in salary as the Governor of the state.)

This is public service, paid for by taxpayers.

And, as illustrated below, the average Medical Examiner statewide makes but a third ($285K) of what our ME has been making in salary. This is going to change, we have to fix this, and I believe we will.