Elected official makes six figures but doesn't show up for work

[Just Wondering]

Why doesn't Mike Deeson investigate some of his own co workers? Didn't good ole boy Reggie get a DUI not to long ago? What ever happened there? Does he have someone in his pocket? Why doesn't this make your news cast? Or is it just because he is a drunk and that is exceptable?

[Another mom]

Get on the ballet/should be an election coming up soon!

Daniel wrote:

Where do I sign up to set at home and get payed big money ?

[Meme]

Hmmm ...the reporter and disgruntled employee don't know what they afe talking bout but you do huh? Internet, fax machines, websites ... yup, loads of ways to do a job without being in the office. But since you brought up the subject that people are making reports without knowing the facts, how about you supplying us with the facts to prove that this scam artist is working form homw.
Put your money where your mouth is and show us some proof to back up your claims. Seems to me that the reported has shown us this fat old guy doesn't come in and work. Now it's your turn.

Allen wrote:

Your insider is not much of an insider. Just another disgruntled employee who doesn't know what they are talking about. Your report is very biased and not very factual. In this day and age of Internet Access, E-Mail, Cell phones, etc. The Clerk does not need to be sitting at his desk to be doing his job. You did a hatchet job on a man that has given over 30 years of his life to public service and now that he is older and sick you want to ruin his reputation prior to his voluntarily leaving office. Shame on you. The pension issues are not loopholes, they are rules your legislature passed to feather their own nest. Maybe you should look into who in the legislature proposed the changes that give elected employees benefits in the pension plan that general employees don't get. While your at it, look at the supposedly high risk pensions to. Public works employees get hurt more often then the precious high risk group. Do a little research before you print nonsense.

[VERY UPSET TAXPAYER]

Someone besides Pittman needs to be held accountable.I feel he should be made to pay all that money back. Like the other person wrote had that been you or I stealing we would be charged with a crime. He needs to be replaced and I would like to thank you for letting us know what is really going on. I plan to pass this article on to others and tell everyone. This is not right.

[FDR]

Panel approves bill to ban double dipping by Florida police

Jim Spearing, a lobbyist for the Florida Police Benevolent Association, was critical of a handful of state employees who have taken advantage of a loophole in state retirement laws that allows some employees to "retire" and return to the same job.

"We can't stop everyone, but we want to stop our own because it's wrong, morally and ethically, to game the system that way," Spearing told the Senate Community Affairs Committee.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/a...

[FDR]

State retiree loophole costs Florida $300M a year
Rule lets employees "retire" with pensions and still get salaries.

TALLAHASSEE -- A growing number of elected officials are quietly taking advantage of a loophole carved into the state retirement law a few years ago that allows double dipping -- collecting a state pension while still getting a regular paycheck from taxpayers.

The cost of pensions for "retirees" who have returned to the payroll was around $300-million last year, according to the Florida Retirement System.

Records indicate that 211 elected officials in Florida -- including legislators, judges, sheriffs, circuit clerks, school board members and county commissioners -- have taken advantage of the benefit. Thirty-one signed up in the past six months.

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/23/State/State...

[Janice - Seminole]

This man is totally ripping off our tax dollars. Since this position does not require someone to work 40 hours a week then the position should be deleted and the employees under him could do his job as I'm sure they have been doing. State employee's would like a raise and cannot receive one because of the freeze. Where is the fairness in this? How much of our wasted tax dollars are going to people of this nature. Someone needs to get off their but and straighten out our government and get rid of people like this.

[BLM]

Mazzie wrote:

<quoted text>
Do you think you'd still have your job if you stood up and laid down the facts to your fellow co-workers? Uh, No. You can provide the facts and get things straight all you want but if you were to come forth with it, your going to lose your job. Common sense.
Read todays paper in the St. Pete Pasco Times. The employees are not going to get a raise because of the lack of money.

Did you ever stop to thing that the lack of money is from the taxpayers voting for Amendment One. Way to go!

[BLM]

Mazzie wrote:

<quoted text>
Please enlighten me on what Jed Pittman has done in his 30 years of being in office that has been good for the community? I see nothing. He doesn't show up to work, we pay him too much of the taxpayers hard earned money, and for what? Buying food so he can be even more morbidly obese? If he can't do his job, he needs to seek help through Vocational Rehabilitation.
What a LAME excuse for not coming to work. "Uh. Im Jed Pittman. I can't come to work because I'm too fat and can't walk."
What about other employees who couldnt perform to their fullest? They had to give up their job. Like the Pasco County Clerks Office motto says "Do as I say, Not as I do." Jed has standards of office dress code and he can't even follow it. Sad.
Does Jed really care about the people of whom he laid off? Obviously he doesn't know let alone care of the hardships the families have to face. His one salary, which is one person (him), can provide 20 full-time jobs at $11.88 per hour times 37and a half hours a week. Do the math.

Again, do your homework!! The Clerk's office has not LAID off any employees.

[Proud Staff of Mr Pittman]

First of all get it straight it is NOT costing the taxpayers one penny more for Mr. Pittman to collect the retirement he earned for 37 years of service to the citizens of Pasco County, and the paycheck he earns as the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Someone would be earning the paycheck if it wasn't him.
Secondly if you want to be taken seriously don't blindly follow the path Deeson has led you down. The glaring errors in his story show he obviously didn't do his research (maybe his pay should be docked). As others have pointed out staff in the Clerk's Office only work 37.5 hours not 40, opps Deeson better check those facts! How about the fact that he spent almost 45 minutes interviewing Mr. Pittman and only bothered to air snippets of the interview, and hasn't bothered to release the entire transcript? Could it be because the rest of the interview does not slant the story the way he wanted it to?
Fact three we are becoming a global community, for those of you that don't understand that means that jobs that effect you every day are being done remotely, in some cases from another country. Mr. Pittman does his job, he is not a fireman, or a nurse, or an EMT that has to be in a certain place at a certain time to accomplish the tasks of his position. If you want to check out this concept google outsourcing, or check on the NCSC web site,(National Center of State Courts) where they advocate staff working from home because it benefits that employee as well as the organization.
Mr. Pittman leads and guides his entire staff of almost 400 spread over 6 locations everyday. Does he have to physically be present in each office everyday to do that? Abolutely not another fact Deeson apparently left out.

[2680fps]

Dear Proud Staff of Mr. Pittman

So what. Personally I think he makes way too much money for that position. And yes the taxpayers or residents do pay his salary because of the fees collected from them so get your &^#@ straight. If he was re-hired how did he end up making in excess of $130,000 a year that fast. Usually don't you have to work up to that kind of salary over time? If that's the case we are all in the wrong line of work.
And second, don't compare him to the real public servants of the county that have to respond to emergency calls of it's citizens day and night, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They're salaries are no where close to his but should be and you wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they were not working. I'm not sure what his job description is other than be an administrator of that department and probably the people under him do all of the work. But if he is not physically there how will he know what needs to be done. Oh tha's right, he has a Deputy Clerk that probably takes care of that for him.
Mike Deeson might have slanted his story or not got all of the facts correct just like all of the media does, but he did raise a point and a good one. So what he has 6 locations. He might have to be at all of them but he should at least be at one of them. I'm suprised Deeson got him in his office for 45 minutes, he must have felt like he was being held hostage. From the looks of him on tv he looked like he was caught in the middle of vacation or is that how he dresses for work? Yea, a real professional. A professional slob who needs to go. No one in an elected office should be able to have a position for that long. First of all it makes their wallet fat(obviously) and second they get lazy and don't want to do anything (another obvious fact).
And as far as someone advocating your staff begin working from home to get the job done? Get real. This is public service. Maybe the cops and firefighters should start working from home to. Yea how effective would that be. Maybe they too can work the 37.5 hours a week instead of 50 or 60 for less than half the money of yours. "Global Community" my ^%#! This is Pasco County we are not global. You serve the citizens of Pasco County and no other. So get to work and stay there.
Either way I think he makes way too much money and let's not forget about the $70,000+ extra he gets for whatever. And by the way the next time you see Jed, www.jennycraig.com

[2680fps]

FDR wrote:

Panel approves bill to ban double dipping by Florida police
Jim Spearing, a lobbyist for the Florida Police Benevolent Association, was critical of a handful of state employees who have taken advantage of a loophole in state retirement laws that allows some employees to "retire" and return to the same job.
"We can't stop everyone, but we want to stop our own because it's wrong, morally and ethically, to game the system that way," Spearing told the Senate Community Affairs Committee.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/a...

Cops don't make $200k a year. So what's the big deal? At least they're working.

[FDR]

2680fps wrote:

<quoted text>
Cops don't make $200k a year. So what's the big deal? At least they're working.

Duh? Why is it right for Pittman and 300 plus other employees & officals to do it and policeman have been stop? If your stopping one group stop them all.

[Proud Staff of Mr Pittman]

Maybe we need a lesson in reading comprehension try www.sylvanlearning.com , if you notice I said Mr. Pittman is NOT a fireman, nurse, or EMT that has to be in a specific place to perform his job. I never attempted to make a comparison. You didn't mention it, but I assume you have an extensive background in human resources which makes you qualified to determine appropriate salary ranges based on the job description and demographics of the area, so it is a bit surprising that you are not aware of current workforce trends. Organizations, both public and private are turning to outsourcing and staff working remotely from off site locations, which is what Mr. Pittman does when he is unable to be physically present at one of the office locations.

2680fps wrote:

Dear Proud Staff of Mr. Pittman
So what. Personally I think he makes way too much money for that position. And yes the taxpayers or residents do pay his salary because of the fees collected from them so get your &^#@ straight. If he was re-hired how did he end up making in excess of $130,000 a year that fast. Usually don't you have to work up to that kind of salary over time? If that's the case we are all in the wrong line of work.
And second, don't compare him to the real public servants of the county that have to respond to emergency calls of it's citizens day and night, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They're salaries are no where close to his but should be and you wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they were not working. I'm not sure what his job description is other than be an administrator of that department and probably the people under him do all of the work. But if he is not physically there how will he know what needs to be done. Oh tha's right, he has a Deputy Clerk that probably takes care of that for him.
Mike Deeson might have slanted his story or not got all of the facts correct just like all of the media does, but he did raise a point and a good one. So what he has 6 locations. He might have to be at all of them but he should at least be at one of them. I'm suprised Deeson got him in his office for 45 minutes, he must have felt like he was being held hostage. From the looks of him on tv he looked like he was caught in the middle of vacation or is that how he dresses for work? Yea, a real professional. A professional slob who needs to go. No one in an elected office should be able to have a position for that long. First of all it makes their wallet fat(obviously) and second they get lazy and don't want to do anything (another obvious fact).
And as far as someone advocating your staff begin working from home to get the job done? Get real. This is public service. Maybe the cops and firefighters should start working from home to. Yea how effective would that be. Maybe they too can work the 37.5 hours a week instead of 50 or 60 for less than half the money of yours. "Global Community" my ^%#! This is Pasco County we are not global. You serve the citizens of Pasco County and no other. So get to work and stay there.
Either way I think he makes way too much money and let's not forget about the $70,000+ extra he gets for whatever. And by the way the next time you see Jed, www.jennycraig.com

[FDR]

No more Republicans time for change. Look at the country, high prices, high unemployment, recession, home foreclosures, tax breaks for the rich, corruption and a war we can't win nothing positive. Republicans have destroyed this country!

[FDR]

Double Dipper is another word for GREED, looking for a loophole for financal gain is GREED, most people who do these acts have one concern, personal gain or GREED, if I can do it and get a way with it, it's okay because I have no ethics and can beat the system.

[pasco resdient]

Who makes the salary up for the Clerk of Courts? If it is done in tallahassee then why don't taxpayers contact tallahassee and inform them that they thank Clerks are making too much money. I know everyone has a right to there own opionin but I think some of the story was not told correctly. And yes whoever was hiding under the hood was a spineless piece of ****. What are you afaid of? Being sue for slander on a very respectable and compassiontate person. Or are you afaid of getting fired if you still work there and not have no way of providing food for your own mouth.

[2680fps]

Proud Staff of Mr Pittman wrote:

Maybe we need a lesson in reading comprehension try www.sylvanlearning.com , if you notice I said Mr. Pittman is NOT a fireman, nurse, or EMT that has to be in a specific place to perform his job. I never attempted to make a comparison. You didn't mention it, but I assume you have an extensive background in human resources which makes you qualified to determine appropriate salary ranges based on the job description and demographics of the area, so it is a bit surprising that you are not aware of current workforce trends. Organizations, both public and private are turning to outsourcing and staff working remotely from off site locations, which is what Mr. Pittman does when he is unable to be physically present at one of the office locations.
<quoted text>

First of all, you are a poor judge of character. I represent none of the backgrounds that you mention but I have been in public service and I currently work in corporate business (bigger than you know). My job does not require me to be in one specific location as I travel alot which is part of my job description. I can work from home and an office. It doesn't matter if you're a Fire Chief, Police Chief, Head of the Maintenance Garage or what. If you're in charge then you need to be there. If you're not there then you are not getting the essential information to do your job right and make improvements for the office unless you got some snitch like yourself running around and feeding info to him.

Maybe you need a education in reading comprehension yourself. When you say "Mr. Pittman is NOT a fireman, nurse, or EMT that has to be in a specific place to perform his job" That is comparing. You're right he is none of those. So what you're saying is that he can do his job from home? What kind of crap is that? If he works for a public office what is his exposure to the public? None, if he is not there. If if he does not have to be there, then why do we have him and have to fork out that kind of salary. Doesn't sound like it is such a high priority job if you ask me. Sounds more like an IT, billing or consulting position, which last time I checked doesn't make that much.

I don't know where you get your information but it sounds fishy if public government are allowing employees to work from home. I'm sure data entry, billing or incoming calls service may be applicable to that type of situation but someone who is in charge of a staff of 400 people needs to be there.

It's about time that you shut your Pittman praising hole and get with the program. This is Pasco County Government we're talking about, not Big Government or Corporate America. Look around and find similar counties of size and demographics that are paying someone the same and that they are required to be at the office. Good luck. And when Jed's birthday gets here get him something nice to wear instead of what you got him last time. It makes him look unprofessional.

[Iagree100]

2680fps wrote:

Dear Proud Staff of Mr. Pittman
From the looks of him on tv he looked like he was caught in the middle of vacation or is that how he dresses for work? Yea, a real professional. A professional slob who needs to go. No one in an elected office should be able to have a position for that long. First of all it makes their wallet fat(obviously) and second they get lazy and don't want to do anything (another obvious fact).
And as far as someone advocating your staff begin working from home to get the job done? Get real. This is public service. Maybe the cops and firefighters should start working from home to. Yea how effective would that be. Maybe they too can work the 37.5 hours a week instead of 50 or 60 for less than half the money of yours. "Global Community" my ^%#! This is Pasco County we are not global. You serve the citizens of Pasco County and no other. So get to work and stay there.
Either way I think he makes way too much money and let's not forget about the $70,000+ extra he gets for whatever. And by the way the next time you see Jed, www.jennycraig.com

Oh I agree 100% I work @ the Clerks. Do you know he can't follow his own dress code? That is the way he dresses all of the time. They spent hundreds of dollars educationing the staff on how to dress and this is the way Mr. Pittman wants us to dress. Hummm He can't follow his own dress codes.
I feel sorry for him cause he has allowed himself to go down hill and has not seeked out help for his obesity. But I can tell you they are not forgiving with other employees that have a medical condition. Once your leave is up then too bad. It isn't like well lets see if we could allow you to work out of your home. He is a leader. A leader sets the example for their employees. He is a poor example. Sure he may have done a lot of good for Pasco County but that was the past. Fact is people have been let go and have not been replaced. A bigger workload is being placed on employees. We have to deal with it.
I was shocked to see how much he got paid and for what he does. There is a lot of government waste. The only thing I have to say He is a good man. However he has been in office WAY 2 LONG. It is sad that people are cutting him down about his size. He truely have a problem. We should tell he needs to seek help for his medical condition so he could be a productive person and stop using obesity as an excuse of why I can't. He is not running again. But think long and hard when you do vote. You have his Deputy Clerk (she is a nice person with knowledge) or New Port Richey Mayor. Do your homework before you vote. Whoever gets voted in need to replace all of upper management. Best of Luck.

[Not sure]

2680fps wrote:

Dear Proud Staff of Mr. Pittman
So what. Personally I think he makes way too much money for that position. And yes the taxpayers or residents do pay his salary because of the fees collected from them so get your &^#@ straight.

Yes, if I'm not mistaken, the people do pay his salary, the money is generated from those who need to utilize the Clerk's office, for example the 'taxpayers' who are paying the Clerk's salary are those who get traffic tickets (speeding, DUI's, moving violations etc). The money is generated from the transactions at the Clerk's office, so maybe people should be a little more careless so not to need to pay fines that generate this person's income.