In Florida’s Poorest County, local politician Lorie Ward maneuvers to collect a bigger pension cash bonus of $683,075
Glades County’s Property Appraiser Lorie Ward set a new low in exploiting her political position for personal enrichment,.
Republican Lorie Ward decided her original taxpayer-paid pension bonus of $375,833 scheduled for January 31, 2024, was not enough money. On June 15, 2023, Ward submitted paperwork, reneging on a previous contract promise to resign on January 31, 2024 in exchange to be eligible for the $375,833 pension cash bonus. This cunning maneuver allowed Ward to extend her pension bonus period by an additional three years, inflating her total pension cash bonus to an indefensible $683,075, with a monthly taxpayer-funded pension soaring from approximately $3,758 to $6,830.
Glades County is Florida’s poorest county with a median household income of $37,221, compared to the state average of $67,917. Glade County’s poverty rate is 21.9% compared to 12.7% State poverty and the unemployment rate is 3.2%.
“Sneaky Politician Lorie Ward is greedy. How many gourmet meals, luxury cars, and vacation homes does one person truly need or can use?” – Dave Jaye TripleDippers.org Research Fellow
Glades County Property Appraiser Lorie Ward (64 on April 24, 2024) takes a salary of $118,650, plus a projected monthly pension of $6,830 for life, and approximately $47,460 in annual benefits. Ward shamelessly avoids paying the standard 3% of her salary ($3,560) to the Florida Pension program, shifting her personal responsibility to taxpayers. Lori Ward is a Triple Dipping Politician see www.tripledippers.org
.A way out: Ward’s Uber-greedy cash grab can be put to a stop should she be defeated in her re-election bid on August 20, 2024. The average Glades County, FL worker earns $44,423 per year or $21 per hour , would need over 15.37 years to match Politician Lorie Ward’s staggering pension cash bonus of $683,075.
Fewer than 30% of Glades County High Schools students are Job ready as only 34% pass reading, only 24% pass math and only 12.7% are college ready, yet 81% graduate with what is often viewed as a worthless Diploma . Lorie Ward’s $683,075 pension cash bonus would be better spent on providing 53,672 tutoring hours for Glades County students.
Ward’s pension cash bonus is formally called the “Deferred Retirement Option Program” (DROP). DROP’s original intent: helping the state retain essential and rare skill sets and experience in mission-critical jobs– not for politicians and low skill jobs. For the list of the names, employers and pension cash bonuses of approximately 28,536 Florida’s Triple Dippers, visit https://tripledippers.org/fl-statewide-2023-june-28537-tripledippers/ .
Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 7024 effective July 1, 2023 allowing politicians and bureaucrats to extend pension bonuses by 60% from 5 to 8 years and up to ten years for School Employees and increasing the pension bonus interest rate from 1.2 to 4% and allowing many to collect pension bonuses earlier . The Triple Dipper Pension Bonus system created $39 billion in unfunded Florida Retirement obligations, amounting to a $1,725 liability for every man, woman, and child in Florida.
Be sure to checkout our latest investigative Report the Hall of Shame https://TripleDippers.org/hall-of-shame where we profile the most Greedy Florida Politicians and Bureaucrats using their public positions for personal enrichment.
