By Verónica Egui Brito
Miami Herald
HIALEAH, Fla. — In the middle of a year in which Florida cities are cutting expenses to prepare for the potential impact of a constitutional amendment that would increase homestead exemptions and reduce property-tax revenue if approved by voters, Hialeah is moving in the opposite direction on police spending.
The city has reached a tentative agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing Hialeah police officers, that Mayor Bryan Calvo called a “historic” investment in the department. The agreement still needs to be approved by the Hialeah City Council, which is scheduled to consider it on Aug. 25.
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Calvo said the agreement represents the highest investment in the police department in the city’s history, which dates back more than 100 years. He said the goal is to make Hialeah competitive with other law enforcement agencies and prevent the department from being used as a training ground for officers who leave for better-paying jobs elsewhere.
“It’s a good day to be a police officer,” Calvo said.
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Every year, dozens of Hialeah police officers leave the department seeking better pay and benefits. Under the tentative agreement, officers could receive compounded salary increases of about 25% to 30% over three years.
Beginning in October, every officer would receive an 8% salary increase. Officers with longer tenure would receive an additional 5%. The increases would continue with another 6% in 2027, and 6% in 2028.
According to Calvo, a starting police officer could see a salary increase from about $55,000 to $70,000 under the agreement.
“We are seeing many other departments offering quite aggressive salaries, and we need to retain as many officers as possible while also being able to recruit officers to this department,” Calvo said.
The mayor also announced that the city will add five police positions, which he hopes will increase staffing in the motorized, economic crimes and aggressive driving units. The city is also planning to invest in police equipment. Calvo said Hialeah will purchase 12 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the department.
Police Chief George Fuente praised the agreement.
“This historic salary increase is long overdue, and I’m extremely appreciative of your staff for working with you to get this done,” Fuente told the mayor.
Competitive edge for officers
Rolando Rios, president of the Hialeah police union, said the agreement would finally bring the department closer to the salaries offered by other law enforcement agencies across South Florida.
“This is significantly a major increase to our department. It puts us on par and competitive with other departments,” said Rios, who has been with Hialeah police for 26 years. “We have lost hundreds and hundreds of officers throughout other agencies throughout the years.”
Rios said the new agreement would help Hialeah compete for officers.
The police department currently has 309 officers. More than 200 officers have been with the department for fewer than 10 years, across all ranks, showing the relatively short tenure of many officers in the city. About 60 officers have been with the force for more than 20 years, while roughly 40 have between 10 and 20 years of service, Rios said.
However, not all the union’s requests were granted. The union sought to eliminate the so-called “76 rule,” established more than a decade ago during the administration of former Mayor Carlos Hernández, and return the retirement threshold to 70. The rule remains unchanged under the new agreement, and allows officers to retire when their age and years of service add up to 76, putting Hialeah at a disadvantage compared with departments with more favorable retirement terms.
Rios noted that some other departments allow officers to retire after 22 years with 80% of their benefits. In Hialeah , many officers have 25 or more years of service because the pension system does not allow them to retire earlier under the same terms.
Firefighters begin negotiations
The police union agreement comes as Hialeah is also beginning contract negotiations with its firefighters. The city held its first bargaining session with the fire department on the same day the police agreement was announced.
The city has been losing police officers and firefighters faster than it can replace them, leaving fewer personnel available to respond to a growing number of emergencies. City officials hope the new agreement with police will help prevent the continued exodus of first responders to neighboring agencies that offer higher pay, including Miami , Miami Beach, Coral Gables and Miami-Dade County.
The timing comes after negotiations with the firefighters were abruptly canceled in July, one day before the first bargaining session with the police union was scheduled to take place.
The 226-member fire department is seeking salary increases of 10% in the first year, 7% in the second year, and 5% in 2028.
According to the firefighters’ union and fire leaders, Hialeah is the only fire department in Miami-Dade with just three crew members on its fire vehicles, including engines, ladder trucks and rescue units, instead of the four recommended by national fire service organizations.
Another concern is the department’s reliance on Emergency Medical Technicians, or EMTs, instead of paramedics. Nearly 90% of Hialeah’s fire calls are medical emergencies, firefighters say, yet the department has increasingly relied on hiring EMTs as the pool of qualified paramedics has shrunk and salaries have remained less competitive. While EMTs provide basic emergency care, paramedics have the additional training required to perform advanced life-support procedures.
The firefighters’ demands could create another significant financial commitment for the city, particularly as Hialeah prepares for the potential loss of property tax revenue if the proposed increase in the homestead exemption is approved by voters statewide in November.
When the Miami Herald asked Calvo how much the police agreement would increase the city’s payroll costs and how much revenue Hialeah could lose if the homestead exemption proposal is approved, the mayor said the money for the salary increases had already been allocated but did not provide specific figures.
The agreement, however, is not final. The Hialeah City Council must approve it before it takes effect, putting the council in the position of weighing a major new investment in police salaries while the city faces uncertainty over its future property tax revenues.
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