SARASOTA, FL — A forensic fiscal audit of Sarasota County School District public records (PR2026-913) and Florida Retirement System (FRS) data reveals that 253 retired school employees are collecting full salaries while building $76.6 million in total pension cash bonuses. Property owners pay a mandatory 22.02% FRS surcharge—costing taxpayers $4.67 million annually—while DROP participants pay 0% into the pension system. See this full list of Sarasota School TripleDippers at https://tripledippers.org/

In addition to pension bonuses, these school employees have banked 13,074 days off ($5.6M liability). District-wide, over 3,800 employees hold more than 60 hours of banked time off, creating a $44.2 million taxpayer liability. Meanwhile, over 85% of private-sector workers have no pension at all. Because all district personnel operate under standard 1-year annual contracts expiring June 30, taxpayer advocates are calling on the School Board to non-renew retired DROP pension bonus contracts to hire entry-level staff, cap banked leave at 60 hours, and direct savings toward property tax relief on the November 4, 2026 ballot.

Statement from Taxpayer Advocacy Leadership:

“Work-life balance is essential for mental health and family wellness. Encouraging staff to take earned time off protects school children and employees from critical mistakes caused by burnout. Cashing out hoarded hours at final, highest salaries is a massive taxpayer rip-off that artificially spikes last-year pay, boosting pension bonuses and lifetime payouts at the expense of local property owners—85% of whom have no pensions. Ending these bonus extensions and capping leave hoarding at 60 hours gives School, City and County Leaders savings needed to deliver property tax cuts on November 4.” ”
— Dave Jaye, Chairman, Lee County Taxpayers Association; Lead Researcher, USATaxFighters.org

Key Policy Reforms Requested:

1. Non-Renew Retired Contracts: Allow 1-year contracts for DROP retirees to expire on June 30 to hire entry-level staff.
2. Cap Banked Leave at 60 Hours: Implement a private-sector standard to stop leave-hoarding liabilities and burnout.
3. Pay Leave at Rate Earned: Eliminate compensation spiking by calculating cashouts at the rate of pay when earned.

MEDIA CONTACT

Dave Jaye, Chairman Lee County Taxpayers Association & Lead Researcher, TripleDippers.org

• 488-5177 | jaye55@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/LeeCountyTaxpayersAssociation
https://www.facebook.com/tripledippers

253 Sarasotans milking the taxpayers for everything they can get.