The
budget has been passed, and I do not believe that there is any realistic
potential that the Governor will veto any portion relative to the OJCC.
This means that we will begin fiscal 2013 on July 1, 2012 with five fewer
employee positions. The legislature has removed one judicial position and
four mediator positions from the OJCC.
I
spoke on Friday directly with each of the employees whose positions will be
eliminated. I feel for these employees and recognize that they are valued
members of our team. We are troubled by
the loss of their contributions, but likewise forced to hard decisions by the
budget.
Most
are aware that two mediators recently retired (in Tampa/TPA and West Palm
Beach/WPB), and that the positions were not advertised or filled because of
this potential. We also have a currently vacant Judge position in Melbourne.
That vacancy had been advertised and the Statewide Nominating Commission
had already advertised the vacancy and their January 2012 meeting when these budget proposals became public. The
Commission made nominations for the MEL vacancy, in hopes that the budget would
fund that position. Unfortunately, this vacant judicial position is among those not funded in the 2013 budget. The following will explain what the
Florida OJCC will be doing to eliminate the other two mediator positions, and
to continue our tradition of providing unparalleled customer service to
Floridians despite these changes.
The
currently vacant mediator positions in TPA and WPB will be eliminated.
Additionally, we will be eliminating the mediator position in Lakeland
(District LKL) and one mediator position in Ft. Lauderdale (District FTL),
all effective July 1, 2012. This will leave FTL, TPA and WPB each with two
mediators. We will continue to provide in-person mediations in
LKL. Rob Arthur, mediator in St. Petersburg (District SPT) will be
splitting his time between SPT and LKL. Fortunately, these two offices
are geographically situated for effective coverage using this
methodology. We will be calling on other state mediators to devote
pre-scheduled days in support of District WPB, whose need for such support is
apparent from a recent mediation workload and volume analysis. Should the pleading and scheduling volumes dictate it in the future, we will
ask mediators to similarly participate in support of other
districts whose force has been reduced by these budget issues (TPA/FTL).
Judge
Donna Remsnyder (SPT) this week requested transfer to the currently vacant
Melbourne (District MEL) office. This request has been approved and Judge
Remsnyder announced yesterday that she will undertake her duties in MEL on
April 1, 2012. My thanks again to all the Judges that have volunteered
for this MEL coverage since Judge Terlizzese's departure. I am grateful to
Judge Remsnyder for her sacrifice in relocating. This is a huge benefit
to the OJCC and to Florida.
I
am cognizant that the mediation force reduction in FTL, TPA, and WPB will
require adjustments, effort and patience from our mediators and staff. I also recognize that there will be some impact on attorneys, claimants, and employers. I
appreciate your patience in this process and transition. I am also grateful to
the mediators from around the state that have volunteered to provide assistance
in other districts. The process we will use to deliver the services in
WPB by out of district mediators will be sent to the effected Judges and
mediators soon.
Know
that I am proud of the OJCC team and the contributions that they each make to
our success. We will rededicate ourselves to the mission of the OJCC and
persevere despite these budget reductions. The reductions in force in
this budget are not a reflection upon the job we do. They merely reflect
the efforts of this legislature to balance a budget in difficult economic
times. If you have questions or comments about the foregoing please feel
free to contact me at your convenience. My email is
david_langham@doah.state.fl.us
