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Councilwoman Martin advances first reading to extend police DROP to eight years; public hearing set for March 18
Summary
At its Feb. 18 meeting, the Rockledge City Council unanimously approved first reading of an ordinance that would extend the Police Employees’ Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) from five years to a maximum of eight years and authorized publication and a March 18 public hearing.
Councilwoman Sammie Brown Martin introduced an ordinance to amend Section 3.1 of the City of Rockledge Police Employees’ Retirement Plan to extend the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) participation cap from five years to a maximum of eight years. Councilwoman Martin moved for the first reading of the ordinance by title; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
City Attorney Wade C. Vose read the ordinance title aloud for the record. After the first-reading motion, Councilwoman Martin moved to authorize publication of the ordinance and to hold a public hearing on March 18, 2026; Councilmember Dr. R. Shaun Ferguson seconded that motion, which also passed by unanimous vote (7).
The ordinance title presented at the meeting reads in part: “AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ROCKLEDGE, BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, AMENDING SECTION 3.1, OPTIONAL FORMS OF RETIREMENT INCOME, OF THE CITY OF ROCKLEDGE POLICE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT PLAN; PROVIDING FOR AN EXTENSION TO THE DEFERRED RETIREMENT OPTION PROGRAM TO A MAXIMUM EIGHT (8) YEARS OF DROP PARTICIPATION…”. The City did not provide an ordinance number during the first reading.
Why it matters: extending DROP participation changes the retirement planning options available to Rockledge police officers and may affect actuarial calculations for the Police Employees’ Retirement Plan. The council took no final action at the Feb. 18 meeting; the ordinance will return for additional consideration at the March 18 public hearing.
What’s next: the ordinance will be advertised for public comment and formally considered at the scheduled March 18 hearing. No fiscal impact estimate or actuarial analysis was read into the record during the first reading.
