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The 2025 Florida Statutes
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F.S. 112.3173112.3173 Felonies involving breach of public trust and other specified offenses by public officers and employees; forfeiture of retirement benefits.—(1) INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature to implement the provisions of s. 8(d), Art. II of the State Constitution. (2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, the term:(a) “Conviction” and “convicted” mean an adjudication of guilt by a court of competent jurisdiction; a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere; a jury verdict of guilty when adjudication of guilt is withheld and the accused is placed on probation; or a conviction by the Senate of an impeachable offense. (b) “Court” means any state or federal court of competent jurisdiction which is exercising its jurisdiction to consider a proceeding involving the alleged commission of a specified offense. (c) “Public officer or employee” means an officer or employee of any public body, political subdivision, or public instrumentality within the state. (d) “Public retirement system” means any retirement system or plan to which the provisions of part VII of this chapter apply. (e) “Specified offense” means:1. The committing, aiding, or abetting of an embezzlement of public funds; 2. The committing, aiding, or abetting of any theft by a public officer or employee from his or her employer; 3. Bribery in connection with the employment of a public officer or employee; 4. Any felony specified in chapter 838, except ss. 838.15 and 838.16; 5. The committing of an impeachable offense; 6. The committing of any felony by a public officer or employee who, willfully and with intent to defraud the public or the public agency for which the public officer or employee acts or in which he or she is employed of the right to receive the faithful performance of his or her duty as a public officer or employee, realizes or obtains, or attempts to realize or obtain, a profit, gain, or advantage for himself or herself or for some other person through the use or attempted use of the power, rights, privileges, duties, or position of his or her public office or employment position; or 7. The committing on or after October 1, 2008, of any felony defined in s. 800.04 against a victim younger than 16 years of age, or any felony defined in chapter 794 against a victim younger than 18 years of age, by a public officer or employee through the use or attempted use of power, rights, privileges, duties, or position of his or her public office or employment position. (3) FORFEITURE.—Any public officer or employee who is convicted of a specified offense committed prior to retirement, or whose office or employment is terminated by reason of his or her admitted commission, aid, or abetment of a specified offense, shall forfeit all rights and benefits under any public retirement system of which he or she is a member, except for the return of his or her accumulated contributions as of the date of termination. (4) NOTICE.—(a) The clerk of a court in which a proceeding involving a specified offense is being conducted against a public officer or employee shall furnish notice of the proceeding to the Commission on Ethics after the state attorney advises the clerk that the defendant is a public officer or employee and that the defendant is alleged to have committed a specified offense. Such notice is sufficient if it is in the form of a copy of the indictment, information, or other document containing the charges. In addition, if a verdict of guilty is returned by a jury or by the court trying the case without a jury, or a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere is entered in the court by the public officer or employee, the clerk shall furnish a copy thereof to the Commission on Ethics. (b) The Secretary of the Senate shall furnish to the Commission on Ethics notice of any proceeding of impeachment being conducted by the Senate. In addition, if such trial results in conviction, the Secretary of the Senate shall furnish notice of the conviction to the commission. (c) The employer of any member whose office or employment is terminated by reason of his or her admitted commission, aid, or abetment of a specified offense shall forward notice thereof to the commission. (d) The Commission on Ethics shall forward any notice and any other document received by it pursuant to this subsection to the governing body of the public retirement system of which the public officer or employee is a member or from which the public officer or employee may be entitled to receive a benefit. When called on by the Commission on Ethics, the Department of Management Services shall assist the commission in identifying the appropriate public retirement system. (5) FORFEITURE DETERMINATION.—(a) Whenever the official or board responsible for paying benefits under a public retirement system receives notice pursuant to subsection (4), or otherwise has reason to believe that the rights and privileges of any person under such system are required to be forfeited under this section, such official or board shall give notice and hold a hearing in accordance with chapter 120 for the purpose of determining whether such rights and privileges are required to be forfeited. If the official or board determines that such rights and privileges are required to be forfeited, the official or board shall order such rights and privileges forfeited. (b) Any order of forfeiture of retirement system rights and privileges is appealable to the district court of appeal. (c) The payment of retirement benefits ordered forfeited, except payments drawn from nonemployer contributions to the retiree’s account, shall be stayed pending an appeal as to a felony conviction. If such conviction is reversed, no retirement benefits shall be forfeited. If such conviction is affirmed, retirement benefits shall be forfeited as ordered in this section. (d) If any person’s rights and privileges under a public retirement system are forfeited pursuant to this section and that person has received benefits from the system in excess of his or her accumulated contributions, such person shall pay back to the system the amount of the benefits received in excess of his or her accumulated contributions. If he or she fails to pay back such amount, the official or board responsible for paying benefits pursuant to the retirement system or pension plan may bring an action in circuit court to recover such amount, plus court costs. (6) FORFEITURE NONEXCLUSIVE.—(a) The forfeiture of retirement rights and privileges pursuant to this section is supplemental to any other forfeiture requirements provided by law. (b) This section does not preclude or otherwise limit the Commission on Ethics in conducting under authority of other law an independent investigation of a complaint which it may receive against a public officer or employee involving a specified offense. History.—s. 14, ch. 84-266; s. 4, ch. 90-301; s. 44, ch. 92-279; s. 55, ch. 92-326; s. 22, ch. 94-249; s. 1414, ch. 95-147; s. 13, ch. 99-255; s. 3, ch. 2008-108; s. 14, ch. 2012-100.
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Annotations, Discussions, Cases:
Cases Citing Statute 112.3173
Total Results: 22
776 F.2d 942, 54 U.S.L.W. 2297
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Filed: Nov 18, 1985 | Docket: 66211801
Cited 106 times | Published
loss of his employment benefits. See Fla.Stat. § 112.3173 (Supp.1984).
. See Herskowitz v. Nesbitt, 419
980 So. 2d 1112, 2008 WL 583672
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 5, 2008 | Docket: 1418761
Cited 9 times | Published
Hames had forfeited his benefits pursuant to section 112.3173, Florida Statutes (2006). The preliminary
479 F. Supp. 2d 1276, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25104, 2007 WL 926171
District Court, S.D. Florida | Filed: Mar 20, 2007 | Docket: 2176222
Cited 9 times | Published
constitutional mandate, the Florida Legislature enacted § 112.3173(3), Fla. Stat., which provides, in pertinent
788 So. 2d 362, 2001 Fla. App. LEXIS 8340, 2001 WL 686823
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 20, 2001 | Docket: 1286635
Cited 7 times | Published
was convicted of a specified offense under section 112.3173(2)(e)6, Florida Statutes (1992), forfeiture
685 So. 2d 914, 1996 WL 720475
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 17, 1996 | Docket: 1735176
Cited 7 times | Published
Article II, section 8 (adopted in 1976), and section 112.3173(3), Florida Statutes (enacted in 1984). However
701 So. 2d 573, 1997 WL 574613
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 18, 1997 | Docket: 1470321
Cited 6 times | Published
the Florida Retirement System pursuant to section 112.3173(3), Florida Statutes. Under this statute:
988 So. 2d 731, 2008 Fla. App. LEXIS 12687, 2008 WL 3914892
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 27, 2008 | Docket: 1385187
Cited 5 times | Published
Simcox committed a "specified offense" under section 112.3173(2)(e)(6) Florida Statutes (2007), we affirm
870 So. 2d 844, 2003 Fla. App. LEXIS 12379, 2003 WL 21976130
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 20, 2003 | Docket: 1330647
Cited 4 times | Published
the pension benefits of Orestes DeSoto under section 112.3173(2)(e)(6), Florida Statutes (2001). For the
822 F.3d 1213, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 8652, 2016 WL 2754018
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Filed: May 11, 2016 | Docket: 3063381
Cited 3 times | Published
adjudication was withheld.
See, e.g.,
§ 112.3173, Fla. Stat. (regarding felonies involving breach
100 So. 3d 1276, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 20233, 2012 WL 5897617
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Nov 26, 2012 | Docket: 60225622
Cited 2 times | Published
committed prior to retirement pursuant to section 112.3173, Florida Statutes (2010). We affirm.
Appellant
46 So. 3d 1227, 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 17656, 2010 WL 4628910
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Nov 17, 2010 | Docket: 60296163
Cited 2 times | Published
crimes constituted specified offenses under section 112.3173, Florida Statutes (2001), the forfeiture statute
36 So. 3d 738, 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 5234, 2010 WL 1542646
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Apr 20, 2010 | Docket: 1118366
Cited 2 times | Published
fraud qualifies as a "specified offense" under section 112.3173(2)(e)6., Florida Statutes (2001), and that
259 So. 3d 253
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Nov 14, 2018 | Docket: 8186511
Cited 1 times | Published
(“State Board”), concluding that pursuant to section
112.3173(3), Florida Statutes (2012), Cuenca has forfeited
189 So. 3d 207, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 2847, 2016 WL 746480
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 26, 2016 | Docket: 3039675
Cited 1 times | Published
accrued retirement benefits in accordance with section 112.3173, Florida Statutes (2014). In particular, the
184 So. 3d 1107, 41 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 41, 2016 Fla. LEXIS 277, 2016 WL 533898
Supreme Court of Florida | Filed: Feb 11, 2016 | Docket: 3035598
Cited 1 times | Published
adjudication was withheld.
See, e.g.,
§ 112.3173, Fla. Stat. (regarding felonies involving breach
184 So. 3d 1107, 41 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 41, 2016 Fla. LEXIS 277, 2016 WL 533898
Supreme Court of Florida | Filed: Feb 11, 2016 | Docket: 3035598
Cited 1 times | Published
adjudication was withheld.
See, e.g.,
§ 112.3173, Fla. Stat. (regarding felonies involving breach
989 So. 2d 716, 2008 WL 3914884
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 27, 2008 | Docket: 1665114
Cited 1 times | Published
rights and benefits under the FRS, pursuant to section 112.3173, Florida Statutes (2003), based on the employee's
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 2, 2024 | Docket: 69218184
Published
law”
the manner in which forfeitures occur. Section 112.3173 of the
Florida Statutes implements this constitutional
98 So. 3d 771, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 18097, 2012 WL 4897046
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 17, 2012 | Docket: 60312569
Published
Department’s final order concluding that, pursuant to section 112.3173, Florida Statutes (2009), he was “convicted”
Florida Attorney General Reports | Filed: Jun 15, 2009 | Docket: 3257824
Published
participation in the local retirement system?
In sum:
Section 112.3173, Florida Statutes, requires the official or
885 So. 2d 892, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 13651, 2004 WL 2049756
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 15, 2004 | Docket: 64833881
Published
conviction led *894to the Board’s application of section 112.3173(3), Florida Statutes (2001), which reads:
505 So. 2d 1100, 12 Fla. L. Weekly 773, 1987 Fla. App. LEXIS 7200
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 13, 1987 | Docket: 64626535
Published
its denial of pension benefits to Pilkay on section 112.3173(3), Florida Statutes (1985), which states:
