What benefits are offered to full-time employees?
Paid Time Off and Holidays
Full-time employees accrue 200 hours of PTO per year, which increases over time based on length of service with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), and is utilized for both sick and vacation leave. Full-time employees receive ten (10) paid holidays plus a paid personal day off annually.
Medical, Dental, Vision and Supplementary Insurance Plans
SCSO pays 100% for full-time employee-only Medical and Dental coverage through United Healthcare. Full-time employees can also cover themselves and eligible dependents under one of three levels of comprehensive Medical and Dental insurance, for an additional charge. There are also Vision and supplementary MetLife Accident, Critical Illness and Hospitalization coverages, at additional cost to the employee.
UnitedHealthcare creates and publishes the Machine-Readable Files on behalf of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. To link to the Machine-Readable Files, please click on the URL provided:
https://transparency-in-coverage.uhc.com/.
Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (AD&D)
SCSO pays for full-time employees’ Basic Life insurance at no cost to employees, which includes Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance, with coverage equal to one times the employee’s annual salary. The SCSO also offers Voluntary Life insurance for employees, spouses, and/or children at a minimal cost to the employee. Sworn and certified personnel are provided with additional Line-of-duty Death benefits at no cost.
Temporary Disability (TDB) and Long-term Disability Insurance
SCSO pays for Long-term Disability coverage for all full-time employees. In lieu of Short-term Disability insurance, employees are enrolled in a TDB leave benefit designed to assist employees who are unable to work due to certain defined circumstances such as Maternity/Paternity Leave, Catastrophic Medical Conditions, or a serious Minor Child Illness. The TDB benefit provides employees 65% of their normal pay for a limited time in order to protect their standard of living in a time of need. Employees may choose to utilize their accrued PTO to make up the other 35% of their normal pay while on TDB Leave.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
SCSO offers a Medical Flexible Spending Account that allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for various, qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses. FSA accounts can pay for medical expenses the employee or the employee’s dependents incur even if they are not enrolled in SCSO’s medical insurance plan.
Educational Assistance
SCSO’s Educational Assistance Program is designed to financially assist full-time employees in good standing who have completed their initial new hire probationary period and are pursuing a college-level degree (i.e. Associates, Bachelors, Graduate Certificate, Masters, Professional Graduate and Doctoral). The program provides up to a $3,000 annual allowance on a reimbursement basis for college-level courses when grade requirements are met.
Nationwide Deferred Compensation Plans
Employees can choose to participate in a Nationwide 457(b) deferred compensation plan which allows employees to put aside pre-tax money from each paycheck toward retirement. Contributions are tax-deferred, meaning employees do not pay income taxes on the contributions or earnings until they retire and/or begin to take payments from the account. An after-tax Nationwide Roth contribution plan is also available
Retirement Plans
SCSO participates in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), which offers two plans for all full-time and part-time employees: The Pension Plan and the Investment Plan. Under each plan, employees contribute a small percentage of their gross salary toward the plan and the SCSO contributes a percentage, as well. These percentages are subject to change annually based on the FRS guidelines and are not determined by the SCSO. For more details, please visit
http://www.myfrs.com.
The Pension Plan is a traditional retirement pension plan. Employees are vested after reaching a certain number of years of service at any age (currently eight years of service) or after reaching a pre-designated age with a minimum number of years of service. The benefit an employee receives at retirement is calculated using a formula based on the employee’s age, FRS membership class, years of FRS service, and an average of the highest years of salary. The State Board of Administration invests all Pension Plan assets. At retirement, distributions are made in monthly installments and are guaranteed for the employee’s lifetime.
The Investment Plan is a 401(k)-type retirement investment plan with the employee fully-vested after one year of service. The employee utilizes the FRS Plan’s list of funds to determine their investments of contributions. The benefits an employee receives are based on the account balance at retirement, which depends on the amount of funds the employee and employer have contributed, the investment earnings of the funds selected, and any fees or expenses charged by those funds. The distribution can be paid in a lump sum, a roll-over to another qualified plan, a customized payment schedule, lifetime guaranteed payments, or any combination of these.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP); Live and Work Well
SCSO has a Live and Work Well program available to its employees, which includes seven (7) no-cost visits per life event with our agency. This benefit covers both full-time and part-time agency employees along with their immediate family members (identified as their beneficiaries or dependents). This benefit provides access to a wide range of assistance including but not limited to:
- Parenting and family issues
- Financial and legal services
- Depression, anxiety and stress
- Caring for aging parents
- Coping with grief and loss
Wellness Center
Employees are provided with access to the Seminole County wellness center that has treadmills, free weights and stationary bicycles. There is no charge to access the Center.
Veterans' Assistance
Eligible veterans who are in training as deputy sheriffs, detention deputies, or communications specialists are eligible to receive compensation of up to $1,000 per month through the GI Bill.
Civil Service
Non-Probationary Classified Service employees are entitled to certain rights under the Civil Service Act. For more information please see the
Civil Service Rules of Procedure. Please note that not all positions within the Seminole County Sheriff Office are considered Classified Service Positions.
Note: Information on employee benefits are current as of July 2022.
Applicants are encouraged to confirm benefit details prior to accepting employment.