185.16 Requirements for retirement.—For any municipality, chapter plan, local law municipality, or local law plan under this chapter, any police officer who completes 10 or more years of creditable service as a police officer and attains age 55, or completes 25 years of creditable service as a police officer and attains age 52, and for such period has been a member of the retirement fund is eligible for normal retirement benefits. Normal retirement under the plan is retirement from the service of the city on or after the normal retirement date. In such event, for chapter plans and local law plans, payment of retirement income will be governed by the following provisions of this section:
(1) The normal retirement date of each police officer will be the first day of the month coincident with or next following the date on which the police officer has completed 10 or more years of creditable service and attained age 55 or completed 25 years of creditable service and attained age 52.
(2)(a) The amount of the monthly retirement income payable to a police officer who retires on or after his or her normal retirement date shall be an amount equal to the number of the police officer’s years of credited service multiplied by 2.75 percent of his or her average final compensation.
(b) Effective July 1, 2015, a plan that is in compliance with this chapter except that the plan provides a benefit that is less than 2.75 percent of the average final compensation of a police officer for all years of credited service or provides an effective benefit that is less than 2.75 percent as a result of a maximum benefit limitation:
1. Must maintain, at a minimum, the percentage amount or maximum benefit limitation in effect on July 1, 2015, and is not required to increase the benefit to 2.75 percent of the average final compensation of a police officer for all years of credited service; or
2. If the plan changes the percentage amount or maximum benefit limitation to 2.75 percent or more of the average final compensation of a police officer for all years of credited service, the plan may not thereafter decrease the percentage amount or the maximum benefit limitation to less than 2.75 percent of the average final compensation of a police officer for all years of credited service.
(3) The monthly retirement income payable in the event of normal retirement will be payable on the first day of each month. The first payment will be made on the police officer’s normal retirement date, or on the first day of the month coincident with or next following the police officer’s actual retirement, if later, and the last payment will be the payment due next preceding the police officer’s death; except that, in the event the police officer dies after retirement but before receiving retirement benefits for a period of 10 years, the same monthly benefit will be paid to the beneficiary (or beneficiaries) as designated by the police officer for the balance of such 10-year period, or, if no beneficiary is designated, to the estate of the police officer, as provided in s. 185.162. If a police officer continues in the service of the city beyond his or her normal retirement date and dies prior to the date of actual retirement, without an option made pursuant to s. 185.161 being in effect, monthly retirement income payments will be made for a period of 10 years to a beneficiary (or beneficiaries) designated by the police officer as if the police officer had retired on the date on which death occurred, or, if no beneficiary is designated, to the estate of the police officer, as provided in s. 185.162.
(4) Early retirement under the plan is retirement from the service of the city, with the consent of the city, as of the first day of any calendar month which is prior to the police officer’s normal retirement date but subsequent to the date as of which the police officer has both attained the age of 50 years and completed 10 years of contributing service. In the event of early retirement, payment of retirement income will be governed as follows:
(a) The early retirement date shall be the first day of the calendar month coincident with or immediately following the date a police officer retires from the service of the city under the provisions of this section prior to his or her normal retirement date.
(b) The monthly amount of retirement income payable to a police officer who retires prior to his or her normal retirement date under the provisions of this section shall be an amount computed as described in subsection (2), taking into account his or her credited service to the date of actual retirement and his or her final monthly compensation as of such date, such amount of retirement income to be actuarially reduced to take into account the police officer’s younger age and the earlier commencement of retirement income payments. In no event shall the early retirement reduction exceed 3 percent for each year by which the member’s age at retirement preceded the member’s normal retirement age, as provided in subsection (1).
(c) The retirement income payable in the event of early retirement will be payable on the first day of each month. The first payment will be made on the police officer’s early retirement date and the last payment will be the payment due next preceding the retired police officer’s death; except that, in the event the police officer dies before receiving retirement benefits for a period of 10 years, the same monthly benefit will be paid to the beneficiary designated by the police officer for the balance of such 10-year period, or, if no designated beneficiary is surviving, the same monthly benefit for the balance of such 10-year period shall be payable as provided in s. 185.162.
History.—s. 14, ch. 28230, 1953; s. 4, ch. 29825, 1955; s. 6, ch. 59-320; s. 5, ch. 61-85; s. 2, ch. 63-196; s. 1, ch. 70-128; s. 12, ch. 86-42; s. 946, ch. 95-147; s. 56, ch. 99-1; s. 13, ch. 2015-39.
