Volume 1 | Number 2 | April 30, 2018
"We Serve ... and We Protect"
JACKSONVILLE POLICE AND FIRE
PENSION FUND NEWS
April 30, 2018
NOTICE: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not reply to this email. Instead, contact the Police and Fire Pension Fund office by phone or in writing.
TOTAL FUND ASSETS as of 03/31/2018
$ 2,046,147,766
FISCAL YEAR-TO-DATE INVESTMENT RETURNS

3.63%
$ 71,673,418

SINCE OCT. 2017

Email Newsletter Saves Fund Over $26,000 Annually
Thank you for reading our Email Newsletter!

Distributing the PFPF News by email will save the Fund an estimated $26,560.56 per year in postage, materials, printing, and labor costs - a 96.20% cost savings! These annual savings are enough to pay for 11 childrens' pensions!

Spread the word! Invite your friends to subscribe!
As Fund Closes, Membership Changes


Last October, the Fund was ceased admitting new members as a result of pension reform.

Now that we're halfway through Fiscal Year 2018 (October 1, 2017 - September 30, 2018), how has the Fund's membership changed?

The first chart illustrates the changing population of the Fund from Fiscal Year End 2016 to Fiscal Year to Date 2018.

Since the Fund closed, total membership has declined from 5,417 to 5,367, mainly due to member deaths and active members' terminations. Total retirees & beneficiaries have increased from 2,982 to 3,012.

We expect this trend of decreasing actives and increasing retirees & beneficiaries to continue as shown in the second chart. Eventually, the Fund will be wholly comprised of retirees & beneficiaries, once the last active member retires sometime in the next 20-30 years.

Interested in more reports like this? Visit our website to read our actuarial valuations!

(data sourced from the Fund's annual Actuarial Valuations and staff research)
Member Spotlight
Cpt. Johnny Long
Fire Captain John H. "Johnny" Long III
Fire Captain John H. “Johnny” Long III retired this month with 27 years of service at JFRD. Over the years, Johnny has earned the reputation of a dependable and passionate public servant to Jacksonville and communities across the country.

Johnny’s career as a firefighter with JFRD began in 1991 at Station no. 5 on Riverside Avenue. Since then, he has worked at Stations 4 (Engineer), 28 (Lieutenant), and 44 (Captain). He said he had the best time of his career when he was tilling the ladder truck at Station no. 4.

When asked to share a memory he had while at JFRD, Johnny recalled the infamous Stuart Petroleum Tanker Fire of 1993, when a storage tank containing more than 2 million gallons of fuel spilled and detonated along the St. Johns River, which caused a massive blaze that burned for almost five days. As he and fellow firefighter Andy Reagor battled the fire during the middle of one night, Andy asked, “If this thing blows, which way do we run?” Johnny replied, “It doesn’t matter! It’s so big we can’t outrun it!”

As a retiree, Mr. Long plans to stay active in the community, and to continue serving as Vice President of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. His main goals include working to develop a new health care plan for active and retired Jacksonville firefighters that includes 'cancer presumption', and striving to make Jacksonville’s firefighters the best in the country.

In addition to his work at the Fire Union, Johnny is a JSO Reserve Officer and also trains and works with Urban Search And Rescue cadaver dogs and ‘live find’ dogs. He was a founding member of the Florida Task Force 5 Canine Team in Jacksonville, and he is a member of Miami’s Florida Task Force 1 FEMA Team. His dog Stone is one of 600 certified ‘live find’ dogs in the country, and another dog of his, Wall-E, is one of only 60 certified cadaver dogs in the US. Johnny and his dogs will continue to support disaster response in his retirement.

Johnny said he is proud of all the crews he has worked with in his time at JFRD. He left one last word of wisdom for the ‘new guys on the job’, “Study hard, learn your craft, trust your officers, and take care of and make time for your families. And always look out for your fellow firefighters.”
Ofc. Ivan Peña
Police Officer Ivan Pe ña
Police Officer Ivan Peña is retiring this June after 25 years at JSO. Ivan has significantly contributed to JSO’s community outreach over the years, especially by building bridges to Jacksonville’s immigrant neighborhoods.

Mr. Peña launched his law enforcement career in 1993 by joining JSO as a Correctional Officer following twelve years of service in the United States Marine Corps. He became a Police Officer two years later, patrolling the Southside under the old ‘beats’ system, which would later become Zone 3. He joined the JSO Honor Guard in 1996. Ivan served as Field Training Officer in Zone 3 until 2006.

In 2006, the Sheriff asked Ivan and fellow officer Dennis Pellot to form the ‘International Affairs Unit’ (IAU) in response to the increasing crime rates within local Hispanic communities. At the time, many Hispanic people hesitated calling law enforcement to report crime because they feared deportation. While working in the IAU, Ivan helped spread JSO’s message through Spanish language radio, TV, and magazines. Ivan’s work in the IAU has helped new immigrants and refugees adapt to the American way of life as it relates to law enforcement through crime prevention and personal safety seminars, for example. The IAU’s success in Jacksonville’s Hispanic communities opened the door for JSO to broaden its scope to connect with other non-Hispanic immigrant communities across the city. When Ivan retires in June, he will have spent nearly 12 years in the IAU.

You may know Ivan through his work in the JSO Honor Guard. As a member of the Guard, Ivan started a new initiative of writing and sending department-wide email notifications whenever retired or active JSO members pass away, including pictures, biographies, and information regarding funeral services and contacts for condolences. Ivan has been responsible for this helpful service for the past 9 years.

When asked to share a good memory made at JSO, Ivan recalled visiting a local young adult who became involved with dealing drugs. He said this young man’s mother called his office and asked for an officer to talk to her son, as she feared he was going down the wrong path in life. Ivan and officer Dennis Pellot visited the young man and talked with him for over an hour, convincing him that he was putting his and his family’s lives in danger.

About a year later, Officer Peña got another call from the man’s mother. She said that not long after Ivan stopped by, her son turned his life around – he started college, got a job, stopped using and dealing drugs, quit drinking, started attending church, and helped his mother with her bills!

Although Ivan is retiring from JSO, he plans to continue his law enforcement career by working on the State or Federal level for 8-10 more years. Besides working, he plans to spend lots of quality time with his family and his 5 (soon to be 6) grandchildren.

When asked for any words of wisdom he would like to leave behind, Ivan said, “Follow your dreams. As long as you enjoy what you do, keep it up. Give the new guys an opportunity to learn from you, and pass your torch to the next generation of officers.”
Community Outreach: Budgeting Presentation at Westside High School
Earlier this month, PFPF Executive Director, Tim Johnson and Assistant Plan Administrator, Steve Lundy gave a presentation to a group of local students at Westside High School. They helped teach the students how to make a balanced personal budget to help them prepare for life after graduation.
Interested in Renting the Pension Fund Building?
We are exploring the idea of opening the PFPF Building's large atrium to rent for events (birthdays, retirement parties, Christmas parties, dinners, meetings, etc...).
Would you or someone you know be interested in renting the PFPF's facility for an event?
Yes
No
I'm not sure
Retirements
March 2018
Tammy L. Brown
Police Sergeant
21 Years of Service

Tanya M. Seymour
Police Officer
23 Years of Service

Craig R. Walcutt
Police Officer
21 Years of Service
UPCOMING EVENTS
We encourage Member & Public attendance at our meetings. If you would like to address the Board or Committees, please attend and let your voice be heard!
May

10 , 3:30PM - FIAC Meeting

11 - Police Memorial Day (Office Closed)


28 - Memorial Day (Office Closed)
June

08 , 3:30PM - FIAC Meeting

All Meetings and Events are held at the PFPF Office at 1 West Adams Street unless otherwise noted.
Final Roll Call
March 19 - April 30
Giddeon J. Wilcox
Police Officer
April 24, 2018
12 Years of Service
Retired 1997

Raymond C. Dick
Police Officer
April 23, 2018
3 Years of Service
Retired 1991

Macklin R. Clifton
Police Sergeant
April 18, 2018
29 Years of Service
Retired 1996

Laurence E. Pelletier Jr.
Police Detective
April 16, 2018
22 Years of Service
Retired 1998

Larry R. Lee
Firefighter Engineer
March 28, 2018
26 Years of Service
Retired 1996

Raymond D. Eddins
Firefighter Engineer
March 19, 2018
29 Years of Service
Retired 1996
Your Feedback is Appreciated!
Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future PFPF News? Reply to this email or give the editor, Steve Lundy a call at (904) 255-7373!
Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund | 1 West Adams Street Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL 32202 | Phone: (904) 255-7373 | Fax: (904) 353-8837 | slundy@coj.net | jaxpfpf.coj.net