County firefighters/paramedics getting 5% annual raises under new contract through 2026 fiscal year

County Commission approves new contract with International Association of Firefighters Local No. 2546

This chart provides more details about the raises effective for the 2024 fiscal year. Image courtesy Sarasota County

Thanks to the Sarasota County Commission’s unanimous vote in approving its Sep. 10 Consent Agenda of routine business matters, most members of the Sarasota County Fire Department have seen 5% raises in their base pay.

The increases began with the first full pay periods after Aug. 1, a county memo noted. “The current contract expired on September 30, 2023,” the memo said.

Those raises will continue through the 2026 fiscal year, the memo added, as the contract period is three years.

The total increase for firefighters/paramedics through the contract term, the memo continued, will range from 31.2% to 43.12% for those not at the top step.

Lieutenants and captains also will receive the 5% increases in base pay for each of the three years.

Battalion chiefs received base pay adjustments ranging between 5% and 9.8% through the end of this fiscal year, which is Sept. 30, the memo said. For the contract period, those not at the top step will receive hikes between 33.46% and 40.33%, the memo added.

Moreover, all of the affected employees were to receive a lump sum payment of $1,000, the memo pointed out.

Further, the memo said, each Fire Department member will get a step raise on his or her anniversary date with the department. For firefighters/paramedics, that will range between 4.47% and 7.67% for each of the three fiscal years; those not at the top step will realize total increases between 9.47% and 12.7%.

The memo also noted that the county’s Emergency Services Department has 643 positions, of which 541 “are unionized pursuant to the collective bargaining law in Florida.”

These are more details about the pay adjustments for the three years of the new contract. Image courtesy Sarasota County

Formally, with their Sept. 10 vote, the commissioners approved the latest collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Firefighters Local No. 2546, “As part of the development of this agreement,” the memo pointed out, staff completed a market analysis review of comparable and similarly situated fire departments to identify where Sarasota County firefighters were positioned within the market.”

On Aug. 19, the memo added, the parties came to a tentative agreement.

The memo also explained, “Based upon the final negotiated contract, the unanticipated impact of the agreement in [the 2024 fiscal year] is approximately $1.3 million. The additional cost will be absorbed through use of reserves in FY2024. The impact to the preliminary FY2025 budget is projected to be $9.4 million,” the memo added, which is an increase of $8.1 million over the prior year. That “will be partially funded by the proposed increase of 15% to the Fire assessment rate and the .03 increase to the EMS [Emergency Medical Service] millage,” the memo noted.

In the 2026 fiscal year, the memo continued, the costs associated with the contract are projected to increase by an additional $6.1 million over the prior year, “for total impact to the budget over the three years of $15.5 million.”

The memo did point out that, based upon those impacts, county staff anticipates that in the 2026 fiscal year, an increase of 13% to the fire assessments rate will be required, which is 1% higher than the forecast provided to the commissioners during a June budget workshop.

“This 1% increase ensures the reserves remain at the projected level shown to the Board at the June Budget Workshop,” the memo said