Fort Myers police reach tentative pay agreement with the city

The Gulf Coast Police Benevolent Association police union representing the Fort Myers Police Department and the City of Fort Myers have reaches a tentative pay agreement.

The union agreed for starting officer pay to raise from $40,726 to $43,700 and for officers to be making $55,265 by their fifth year.

The union agreed to keep the pension benefit status quo since the City agreed on the salary bump.

The tentative agreement also includes Specialist Pay Supplements for several position such as Certified Hostage Negotiators, K9, and SWAT.

A city study from 2016 provided by the union shows that Fort Myers pays all employees around 10 % less than other a local government entities in Southwest Florida.

For example, Cape Coral police officers start out currently at just over $46,000 annually according to the most recent contract for the agency. The most recent Naples police department contract shows officers are starting at $51,000 annually.

Sellers said officers are often enticed to work and stay at FMPD despite the lower pay because it is a busy agency that deals with a lot of crime with a lot of room for growth.

Union members are set to vote on the agreement in the coming weeks and City Council will vote on September 4.