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Endorsements

Americans for Tax Reform – Grover Norquist, President: “ATR is committed to ensuring that citizens are not only protected from higher taxes, but from higher spending. If public sector pension costs continue to consume government budgets, it’s only a matter of time before taxes are raised to help pay for community needs that have been set aside to pay for pension promises. FSP understands if we continue down this all Floridians will feel the negative consequences.”

Americans for Prosperity – Abigail F. MacIver, Director of Policy & External Affairs: “With a total liability of over $120 billion, Florida’s public pension is one of the highest in the nation.  Even the most optimistic projections leave Florida’s state sector pension unfunded by several billion dollars year in and year out.  That means the one million people that currently rely on or will rely on the state for their retirement will be left out in the cold.  This is an issue that absolutely must be addressed and cannot continue to be ignored.”

Associated Industries of Florida: “Public-sector jobs continue to grow while unemployment rates are among the highest in the private sector. Florida taxpayers can no longer afford to fully subsidize state employees’ pensions. For years, private-sector employees have been making contributions to 401(k)-style plans, and it is only fair that public employees do the same. This isn’t a tax on public employees’ salaries; it’s an investment in their futures. FSP members know that if pension systems remain underfunded and FRS proponents remain overly optimistic about return rates, it won’t be long until Florida is facing another severe financial downfall. FSP is determined to not let that happen.”

Florida Chamber of Commerce – Mark Wilson, President & CEO: “With retirees living longer, investments showing slower gains and the state receiving less sales tax revenue, Florida’s government will be hard pressed to meet the obligations of the current retirement system. By aligning state employee pension contributions with other states and the private sector,  Florida will no longer be the only state in which taxpayers pay 100 percent of state employee pensions. The Florida Retirement System needs to be modernized to make public-sector benefits reasonable and affordable, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce is pleased to partner with FSP to help accomplish this goal.”

Florida TaxWatch – Dominic Calabro, President & CEO: “Florida TaxWatch has been an advocate for defined contribution plans for more than 10 years. We are proud to join with other groups that understand the significant impact of this type of change to the system. As it stands now, taxpayers are fronting the bill for growing, often law-bound, local retirement plans no matter the state of the economy. Many groups have recognized that public pension plans and the process to create them are in need of vast improvements. We all recognize that we cannot keep writing checks that cannot be cashed The establishment of FSP is a pivotal development in the efforts to rein in public sector pension benefits and ensure Florida’s future is financially sound.”

FreedomWorks Florida: – Tom Gaitens: “The time bomb in our budget in both local and state governments is the time bomb of pensions. Realistically these pension obligations are going to grow substantially and Florida cannot sustain this system.  Simply put, government employees need to pay into their pensions. Florida citizens cannot bare the whole of that burden.”

National Federation for Independent Business: “The public employee pension ‘chickens’ are finally coming home to roost.  It is time that public-sector employee retirement plans are brought in line with their private-sector counterparts that include defined contribution plans and an employer-employee funded 401(k) option. For small business owners in Florida, their business is their retirement plan and they put that on the line every day while creating jobs for Floridians. Legislators cannot afford to wait any longer to bring changes since pension costs will force cuts in basic government services, such as public safety and education.”

The James Madison Institute – Dr. J. Robert McClure, President & CEO: “Although the Florida Retirement System is better off than the pension plans of some of Florida’s major cities, improvements are still needed to create a system that is viable for years to come. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we want what is best for Florida’s future. It’s time for politicians to quit making pension promises that the next generation will have to finance.”