HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-19-0165City of Miami
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Legislation
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Resolution: R-19-0165
File Number: 5772
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
Final Action Date: 4/25/2019
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION URGING THE FLORIDA
LEGISLATURE TO PROVIDE A PAY SUPPLEMENT FOR EMPLOYEES OF
THE OFFICES OF THE STATE ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC DEFENDER FOR
THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA TO HELP OFFSET THE
HIGHER COST OF LIVING IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY; DIRECTING THE CITY
MANAGER TO ADD THIS ISSUE TO THE CITY'S 2019 LEGISLATIVE
PRIORITIES AND TO THE 2020 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES IF IT IS NOT
RESOLVED IN THE 2019 LEGISLATIVE SESSION; FURTHER DIRECTING
THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE
OFFICIALS NAMED HEREIN.
SPONSOR(S): Mayor Francis X. Suarez
WHEREAS, over 800 state prosecutors and support staff operate out of the Miami -Dade
Office of the State Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida and are tasked with
protecting, defending, upholding, and enforcing the criminal laws of the State of Florida; and
WHEREAS, according to the State Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida,
state prosecutors who begin their careers at her office receive a starting salary of $41,500.00;
and
WHEREAS, according to the Public Defender for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida,
the Office of the Public Defender is down to 192 attorneys, which is far below the 220 attorneys
needed to adequately staff the thousands of cases assigned to them; and
WHEREAS, according to the State Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida,
the State Attorney's Office has only 243 of its 333 positions filled; and
WHEREAS the Miami Herald has reported that the rate of attrition for Assistant State
Attorneys and Assistant Public Defenders has increased to over twenty-two percent (22%) while
wages have stagnated and the cost of living in Miami -Dade County has skyrocketed; and
WHEREAS, the Sun -Sentinel recently reported that the City of Miami ("City") is the
seventh (7t") least affordable large metropolitan area in the world and that six (6) in ten (10)
employed adults in the City are spending more than thirty percent (30%) of their income on
housing; and
WHEREAS, the Miami City Commission is cognizant of the need for the Offices of the
State Attorney and Public Defender for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida to attract and
retain qualified attorneys and support staff, of the role salary plays in such retention efforts, and,
therefore, urges the Florida Legislature to provide a pay supplement for said employees;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, FLORIDA:
City of Miami Page 1 of 2 File ID: 5772 (Revision: A) Printed On: 5/8/2019
File ID: 5772
Enactment Number: R-19-0165
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are
adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. The Miami City Commission urges the Florida Legislature to provide a pay
supplement for employees of the Offices of the State Attorney and Public Defender for the
Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida to help offset the higher cost of living in Miami -Dade County.
Section 3. The Miami City Commission hereby adds this issue to the City's Legislative
priorities for 2019 and, in the event this issue is not resolved in the 2019 Florida Legislative
session, it shall be added to the 2020 Legislative priorities.
Section 4. The City Clerk is directed to transmit a certified copy of this Resolution to
Governor Ron DeSantis, President of the Senate Bill Galvano, Speaker of the House Jose R.
Oliva, members of the Miami -Dade County Legislative Delegation, State Attorney Katherine
Fernandez Rundle, and Public Defender Carlos Martinez.
Section 5. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and
signature of the Mayor.'
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS:
1
Una ndez, City Attor ley 4/29/2019
' If the Mayor does not sign this Resolution, it shall become effective at the end of ten calendar days from
the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Resolution, it shall become effective
immediately upon override of the veto by the City.
City of Miami Page 2 of 2 File ID: 5772 (Revision: A) Printed on: 5/8/2019