Manatee County Government is pleased to offer a generous benefits package including employer-provided health insurance, Florida Retirement System (FRS) retirement benefits, wellbeing/fitness programs, and paid leave.

Insurance

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

Through the Manatee YourChoice Health Plan, employees are provided access to affordable medical and prescription drug coverage (including child-preventative dental) covered at 100% with $10 generic medications.
Manatee County, as employer, pays approximately 88% of employee-only medical insurance premiums and 80% of family-coverage medical insurance premiums. Dental and vision plans are also available.

Term-Life Insurance

Manatee County provides a Core Term-Life Insurance plan with coverage equal to one time (1x) the employee’s annual base salary. This coverage includes Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage. The Core Insurance plan’s premiums are 100% paid by Manatee County Government. Additional Life Insurance can be elected for employees, spouses and children. Evidence of Insurability for these plans is required unless elected at time of hire.

Long-Term and Short-Term Disability Insurance

Manatee County provides Long-Term Disability coverage to its employees with a benefit of 50% of base monthly salary, up to $3,000/month, after a 90-day waiting period, with an option to increase the benefit to 66.67% of base salary, up to $5,000/month. Employees can elect Short-Term Disability Insurance with a benefit of 60% of weekly salary, up to $1,000/week, after a 13-day waiting period.

Comprehensive information about Manatee County’s insurance offerings can be found at the Manatee YourChoice website.

Wellbeing/Behavioral Health Benefits

Employees have access to LAMP (Lifestyle Assistance and Modification Program) – Manatee County’s Employee Assistance Program – both onsite and in the community. LAMP counselors are available to assist employees and their families with personal issues, including emotional, substance abuse, marital and financial concerns. Each employee and covered family member receives five free LAMP visits per year.

Other onsite health advocates and wellbeing programs are available to all employees and their families to help them reach their full potential personally and professionally by assisting them in their path to good health. Services include wellness/health coaches, an onsite fitness center, personal training, and classes in group fitness, stress management, and nutrition.

Comprehensive information about Manatee County’s wellbeing and behavior health benefits can be found at the Manatee YourChoice website.

Retirement

Florida Retirement System (FRS)

Manatee County contributes to the Florida Retirement System (FRS) on behalf of all employees in regular full-time and part-time positions. Effective July 1, 2011, the employee contributes 3% of their earnings on a pre-tax basis. Employees may select either the Pension Plan option or the Investment Plan option. Retired employees are also eligible to receive a Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS) benefit equal to $7.50 per month for each year of FRS service (with a maximum of $225.00 per month for 30 years of FRS service).

Special Pay Plan

Through the Bencor Special Pay Plan, eligible retiring employees permanently avoid all Medicare and Social Security taxes for accumulated sick, vacation and compensatory time.

457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Employees have the option to tax-defer a portion of their salary to a 457 Deferred Compensation Plan with Voya Financial.

Vacation/Sick/Holiday/Other Leave Benefits

Vacation Leave

Employees accrue vacation days based on their number of years of service with Manatee County Government. The accrual rates for full-time employees are as follows:

• 5 years of service or less – 130 hours per year
• 6-10 years of service – 156 hours per year
• 11+ years of service – 182 hours per year

If an employee has more than 400 hours of vacation leave at the end of a calendar year, any hours in excess of the 400 will roll over to the employee’s sick leave balance. EMS shift work employees and part-time employees accrue vacation hours on a pro-rated basis. Upon leaving employment, employees are paid their accrued vacation balances, up to a maximum of 400 hours. Employees receive an additional day of vacation for every six consecutive months of non-use of sick leave hours.

Sick Leave

Sick leave hours are accrued at a rate of .05 hours for every hour worked, up to 80 hours for regular employees and up to 112 hours for EMS employees working a 24/48 schedule.

Sick leave may be used to cover illness, injury or wellness checkups (i.e. annual physicals, dental check-ups, etc.) for an employee’s “immediate” family up to a maximum of eighty (80) hours during a payroll calendar year.

Employees with a minimum of five years continuous service, who leave County employment and qualify to receive payment of unused sick leave credits, may be paid a percentage of their existing sick leave balance up to a lifetime maximum of 500 hours. Payouts begin at 30% for five years of service and increase at 2% increments, for each additional year, with a maximum of 50% for 15+ years of service.

Employees participating in the Sick Leave Bank program may receive up to a lifetime maximum of one week’s pay (based on average hours worked) for each year of service completed as of the date of their eligibility for Sick Leave Bank benefits.

Paid Holidays

Employees receive the following 12 paid holidays each calendar year (pending annual approval by the Board of County Commissioners):

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• President’s Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veteran’s Day
• Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Friday
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas Day

Other Leave Benefits

• Personal Holidays – Employees receive three days of personal leave per year, in addition to their vacation/sick/other leave accruals.
• Bereavement Leave – Probationary and regular employees who have a death in their “immediate” family qualify for up to three scheduled workdays of leave not chargeable to any accrued leave balance (i.e. sick, vacation, etc.).
• Military Leave – Employees who are commissioned reserve officers or reserve enlisted personnel in the United States military or naval service, or a member of the National Guard, are entitled to military leave for all days during which they are ordered to active duty or inactive duty for training, up to a maximum of 240 hours.
  

Tuition Reimbursement

Manatee County pays 80% of University of South Florida prevailing rates towards a degree course related to the employee’s current position. Reimbursement of tuition expenses requires a grade of “C” (or “pass” in pass/fail courses).