TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - After years of refusing to give Florida corrections officers a pay raise, Gov. Rick Scott wants to spend $38 million to boost pay for officers in Florida's prison system.
Scott spokesman McKinley Lewis tells news outlets that the plan will be unveiled as part of Scott's recommended budget Tuesday. The proposal would result in salary increases for a majority of the state's 24,000 corrections and probations workers.
Salaries for entry-level corrections officers would rise by 8.5 percent, from about $31,000 to $33,500. Sergeants, lieutenants and captains would see a 10 percent increase.
The proposal must next receive the approval of state legislators, who in the past 10 years have increased corrections agency salaries only once, with a one-time bonus for the lowest paid officers.
AP-WF-01-30-17 0915GMT<