Rick Scott Comments on Pension Case Before Florida Supreme Court

The justices of the Supreme Court of Florida heard oral arguments Friday morning regarding an appeal by the state of a March ruling by a circuit judge overturning key elements of the Legislature's 2011 reform of the state employee retirement system.

Gov. Rick Scott issued a statement on what he expects the outcome of the case to be:

This case is about our efforts to maintain a responsible and sustainable budget for the state of Florida. In 2011, the Legislature passed, and I signed, common-sense public pension reform, which requires public employees like private-sector employees throughout Florida to contribute to their retirement plans.Prior to this reform, Florida was one of only three states that did not require public employees to contribute to their pensions.

The legal question in the case is straightforward. The Legislature relied on and carefully followed a 30-year-old Florida Supreme Court case, which held that the Legislature can change the public pension system on a going-forward basis. We therefore expect the Supreme Court to follow its own prior decision.

More to come ...