Sec. 121.107. - Credit for broken service, continuous service, partial years transferability, and service as a Florida State Certified Police Officer or Firefighter.

(a) A person who becomes a Member of the Police and Fire Pension Fund who is not a retiree of any current or former pension plan of the City of Jacksonville or Duval County, or is not a retiree nor has attained vested status under the Florida Retirement System or the City of Atlantic Beach, shall be entitled to receive time-service credit for any previous period of full-time employment either continuous or broken with the City or its independent agencies, authorities or boards, or the City of Atlantic Beach Fire Department, provided such service has not been used for entitlement to benefits under any other pension system with such entitlement resulting from the attainment of vested status under such other pension system. For purposes of applying these provisions, a Member who has previously attained vested status and accordingly has previously secured a legal claim to an entitlement to benefits under another pension plan shall not be entitled to time service credit for such periods of full time employment notwithstanding the fact that the Member may have abandoned or rejected such vested status or legal claim to the receipt of future benefits by requesting a refund of contributions or otherwise. However, such general prohibitions shall not preclude a former Member of the Fund from purchasing previous vested service with the Fund for which a refund of contributions was previously received and for which the former Member has not otherwise used for entitlement to benefits under any other pension system. To be entitled to credit, a Member shall make application for credit to the Board at any time prior to retirement. Furthermore, the employee shall pay into the fund a sum of money equal to the percentage of his current monthly salary required to be contributed by the fund of which he is a Member multiplied by the number of months and fractional parts thereof for the entire period of time for which credit is being sought or on such other terms as the Board shall determine. (b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section (a) above or in Chapter 18615, Laws of Florida, Special Acts of 1937, as amended, a person who becomes a Member of the Police and Fire Pension Fund, from the General Employees Pension Fund or the City of Atlantic Beach Fire Pension Fund, without a break in service, shall be entitled to time-service credit for the number of months and fractional parts thereof the Member accrued in the Member's previous pension fund for computation of pension benefits as stated in the time-service transfer provisions of the enumerated pension law upon transfer of the Member's accumulated Member and employer contributions from the former fund. (c) For purposes of applying this Section, "full-time employment" shall mean regular employment as permanent, probationary, provisional, grant or appointed employees involving a regular work week of at least 40 hours. Employment in such eligible positions are generally represented by positions that are included in the maximum authorized number of employees set forth in the annual City budget ordinance. As such, "full-time employment" specifically does not include forms of employment represented by temporary employees (described in 106.404 ), part-time employees, or seasonal employees. The following types of employment are considered to be in the category of temporary, part-time, or seasonal employees and accordingly, such specifically named categories of employment do not qualify as "full-time employment" for purposes of this Section: (1) Court Bailiffs, (2) Volunteer Firefighters, (3) Auxiliary law enforcement officers, (4) Elections workers, (5) Student positions and summer help, (6) Contract employees, and (7) Positions filled through employment agencies. The above listing is not intended to represent an exhaustive compilation of all of the forms of temporary, part-time, and seasonal employment which are excluded from the definition of "full-time employment." (d) Any active Member of the Police and Fire Pension Fund who is not a retiree and who has not attained vested status under any other governmental retirement system shall be entitled to purchase time service credit for up to five years of full time employment as a Police Officer under the provisions of F.S. Ch. 943, or as a certified Firefighter under the provisions of F.S. Ch. 633. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any active Member of the Police and Fire Pension Fund who is not a retiree and seeks to purchase time service credit as a Police Officer under the provisions of F.S. Ch. 943, or as a certified Firefighter under the provisions of F.S. Ch. 633, under this paragraph for service with another government in Duval County, shall be entitled to purchase up to five years of such time service credit provided such service has not been used for entitlement for benefits under any other pension system. To be entitled to pension credit, a Member shall make application to the Board at any time prior to retirement. Furthermore, the employee shall pay into the Pension Fund a sum equal to 20 percent of his or her current monthly salary multiplied by the number of months (60 months maximum) for which credit is being sought, on such terms as the Board shall determine. (Ord. 82-406-380, § 1; Ord. 83-591-400, § 1; Ord. 93-1773-1045, § 3; Ord. 97-340-E, § 4; Ord. 1999-472-E, § 2; Ord. 1999-1019-E, § 1; Ord. 2002-445-E, § 2; Ord. 2003-1337-E, § 1; Ord. 2006-947-E, § 2; Ord. 2015-304-E , § 1; Ord. 2017-259-E , § 1)