ORLANDO, Fla. — A bill unanimously passed by the legislature will soon be heading to the governor’s desk that aims to restore retirement benefits to some government employees.

What You Need To Know

  • Senate Bill 7024 would restore county firefighters, corrections officers, and sheriff’s deputies' retirement benefits lost in 2011

  • Wayne Bernoska, the elected union president for the FPF in Tallahasee represents over 28,000 paid professional firefighters in the state

  • Experts say they're hopeful the bill will get more young firefighters interested in the profession

Leaders for the Florida Professional Firefighters Association said the bill would restore county firefighters, corrections officers, and sheriff’s deputies' retirement benefits lost in 2011.

Wayne Bernoska, the elected union president for the FPF in Tallahassee, said Senate Bill 7024 will be life-changing news for those that take part in the Florida Retirement System.

Bernoska has been a firefighter for 28 years. He’s also an active member of the Orlando Fire Department.

He said that 2011 legislative changes to the Florida Retirement System negatively affected county firefighters by increasing the required years of service to five years higher than the industry standard.

“When I say this is life-changing for generations to come, it does reset us back to our period of 25 years of service or 55 years of age and it allows our members who are known to not live as long as the general public to enjoy what they’ve earned in their retirement benefits,” said Bernoska.

He represents over 28,000 paid professional firefighters in the state and said over half are part of the Florida Retirement System. He said the physical and mental demands of fighting fires equals a shorter life span.

“The number one killer of firefighters is cancer. It’s because of the toxic environments that we conduct our business in during these emergencies,” said Bernoska.

He’s hopeful this bill will address the recruitment and retention problem in Florida and get more young firefighters interested in the profession.

“We had a lot of members leaving from the state program to go work for the cities because there was this disparity,” said Bernoska. “That’s 5 fewer years you're spending in these toxic environments, 5 fewer years you’re having to spend in these high stress mentally taxing scenes.”

All county firefighters are required to be part of the Florida Retirement System.

The governor’s office tells Spectrum News it has yet to receive the bill from the legislature.

A spokesperson for his office said the governor will decide on the merits of the bill once it’s on hand.