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The Governor is proposing that all state employees, including law enforcement agencies get pay raises based on their performance, not across the board. But when it comes to law enforcement agents, it looks like that’s going to produce some unintended consequences.

State troopers issued more than 800,000 tickets last year. Governor Rick Scott wants to offer $2,500 and $5,000 bonuses to all state workers. That includes troopers, game commission officers, and some FDLE agents.

“I believe in the bonuses,” said the Governor in January 2013. “I believe in variable pay”

The agency negotiating for the state has told the union it wants troopers to have three contacts an hour for the $2,500 bonus, four contacts for the full $5,000. Negotiators turned it down.

“You are, especially when you tie a bonus to it,” said Matt Puckett of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, “that you are getting into the realm of quotas and paying a bonus for these types of quotas.”

Four trooper contacts an hour would more than double the number of tickets that were written over last year. State lawmakers briefed on the impasse say negotiators have gone too far.

“I do not support a quota system nor would I support a quota system,” said Rep. Charles Van Zant (R-Keystone Heights). “I think that’s wrong. That’s wrong. Patrolling, that’s wrong. Public safety.”

Another member of the impasse committee is actively trying to stop the would be quotas.

“You’re gonna have highway patrolmen pulling people over for going six miles per hour over the speed limit if we lash their pay to how many speeding tickets they write,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Ft. Walton Beach).

Both the highway patrol and the Department of Management Services which is doing the actual negotiation, declined to appear on camera. The Highway Patrol said in an email that they have no policy on quotas.”

The state has told the union it will be sending a new offer in the near future.

UPDATE. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014

The Governor has been getting a lot of calls and aced u to post this response:

Section 316.640(1), F.S., provides:

2. An agency of the state as described in subparagraph 1. is prohibited from establishing a traffic citation quota. A violation of this subparagraph is not subject to the penalties provided in chapter 318.

The agencies described in that statute are:  The Division of Florida Highway Patrol of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; the Division of Law Enforcement of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and the agents, inspectors, and officers of the Department of Law Enforcement

FHP doesn’t have any evaluation standards that incentivizes the giving of tickets.