§ 13-26. Definitions.

(1)

General definitions. As used herein, unless otherwise defined or required by the context, the following words and phrases shall have the meaning indicated:

Accumulated contributions means a member's own contributions without interest. For those members who purchase credited service with interest or at no cost to the system, any payment representing the amount attributable to member contributions based on the applicable member contribution rate, and any payment representing interest and any required actuarially calculated payments for the purchase of such credited service, shall be included in accumulated contributions.

Actuarial equivalent means a benefit or amount of equal value, based upon the RP 2000 Combined Health Unisex Mortality Table and an interest rate equal to the investment return assumption set forth in the last actuarial valuation report approved by the board. This definition may only be amended by the city pursuant to the recommendation of the board using the assumptions adopted by the board with the advice of the plan's actuary, such that actuarial assumptions are not subject to city discretion.

Average final compensation means one-twelfth ( 1/12 ) of the average salary of the five (5) best years of the last ten (10) years of credited service prior to retirement, termination, or death, or the career average as a full-time firefighter, whichever is greater. A year shall be twelve (12) consecutive months.

Beneficiary means the person or persons entitled to receive benefits hereunder at the death of a member who has or have been designated in writing by the member and filed with the board. If no such designation is in effect, or if no person so designated is living, at the time of death of the member, the beneficiary shall be the estate of the member.

Board means the board of trustees, which shall administer and manage the system herein provided and serve as trustees of the fund.

City means City of Winter Haven, Florida.

Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.

Credited service means the total number of years and fractional parts of years of service as a firefighter with member contributions, when required, omitting intervening years or fractional parts of years when such member was not employed by the city as a firefighter. A member may voluntarily leave his accumulated contributions in the fund for a period of five (5) years after leaving the employ of the fire department pending the possibility of being reemployed as a firefighter, without losing credit for the time that he was a member of the system. If a vested member leaves the employ of the fire department, his accumulated contributions will be returned only upon his written request. If a member who is not vested is not reemployed as a firefighter with the fire department within five (5) years, his accumulated contributions, if one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or less, shall be returned. If a member who is not vested is not reemployed within five (5) years, his accumulated contributions, if more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), will be returned only upon the written request of the member and upon completion of a written election to receive a cash lump sum or to rollover the lump sum amount on forms designated by the board. Upon return of a member's accumulated contributions, all of his rights and benefits under the system are forfeited and terminated. Upon any reemployment, a firefighter shall not receive credit for the years and fractional pars of years of service for which he has withdrawn his accumulated contributions from the fund, unless the firefighter repays into the fund the contributions he has withdrawn, with interest, as determined by the board, within ninety (90) days after his reemployment.

The years or fractional parts of a year that a member performs "Qualified Military Service" consisting of voluntary or involuntary "service in the uniformed services" as defined in the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) (P.L. 103-353), after separation from employment as a firefighter with the city to perform training or service, shall be added to his years of credited service for all purposes, including vesting, provided that:

(a)

The member is entitled to reemployment under the provisions of USERRA.

(b)

The member returns to his employment as a firefighter within one (1) year from the earlier of the date of his military discharge or his release from active service.

(c)

The maximum credit for military service pursuant to this paragraph shall be five (5) years.

(d)

This paragraph is intended to satisfy the minimum requirements of USERRA. To the extent that this paragraph does not meet the minimum standards of USERRA, as it may be amended from time to time, the minimum standards shall apply.

In the event a member dies on or after January 1, 2007, while performing USERRA Qualified Military Service, the beneficiaries of the member are entitled to any benefits (other than benefit accruals related to the period of qualified military service) as if the member had resumed employment and then died while employed.

Beginning January 1, 2009, to the extent required by section 414(u)(12) of the code, an individual receiving differential wage payments (as defined under section 3401(h)(2) of the code) from an employer shall be treated as employed by that employer, and the differential wage payment shall be treated as compensation for purposes of applying the limits on annual additions under section 415(c) of the code. This provision shall be applied to all similarly situated individuals in a reasonably equivalent manner.

Leave conversions of unused accrued paid time shall not be permitted to be applied toward the accrual of credited service either during each plan year of a member's employment with the city or in the plan year in which the member terminates employment.

In the event that a member of this system has also accumulated credited service in another pension system maintained by the city, then such other credited service shall be used in determining vesting as provided for in section 13-34, and for determining eligibility for early or normal retirement. Such other credited service will not be considered in determined benefits under this system. Only his credited service under this system on or after his date of membership in this system will be considered for benefit calculation. In addition, any benefit calculation for a member of this system who is or becomes eligible for a benefit from this system after he has become a member of another pension system maintained by the city, shall be based upon the member's credited service as of the date the member ceases to be a firefighter, but shall be based on the members' average final compensation in the system from which he retires and the benefit accrual rate in effect for this system on his actual date of retirement for another system.

Firefighter means an actively employed full-time person employed by the city, including his initial probationary employment period, who is certified as a firefighter as a condition of employment in according with the provisions of F.S. § 633.408, and whose duty it is to extinguish fires, to protect life and protect property. The term shall also mean any person who name is carried on the active membership roll of the Winter Haven Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter, and whose duty it is to extinguish fires, to protect life and to protect property. The term includes all certified, supervisory, and command personnel whose duties include, in whole or in part, the supervision, training, guidance, and management responsibilities of full-time firefighters, part-time firefighters, or auxiliary firefighters but does not include part-time firefighters or auxiliary firefighters.

Fund means the trust fund established herein as part of the system.

Member means an actively employed firefighter who fulfills the prescribed membership requirements. Benefit improvements which, in the past, have been provided for by amendments to the system adopted by city ordinance, and any benefit improvements which might be made in the future shall apply prospectively and shall not apply to members who terminate employment or who retire prior to the effective date of any ordinance adopting such benefit improvements, unless such ordinance specifically provides to the contrary.

Plan year means the twelve-month period beginning October 1 and ending September 30 of the following year.

Retiree means a member who has entered retirement status.

Retirement means a member's separation from city employment with eligibility for immediate receipt of benefits under the system, or entry into the deferred retirement option plan [DROP].

Salary means the total compensation for services rendered to the city as a firefighter reportable on the member's W-2 form, including lump sum and incentive payments, plus all tax deferred, tax sheltered, or tax exempt items of income derived from elective employee payroll deductions or salary reductions. For service earned on or after July 1, 2011, salary shall not include more than three hundred (300) hours of overtime per calendar year. Provided however, in any event, payments for overtime in excess of three hundred (300) hours per year accrued as of July 1, 2011, and attributable to service earned prior to the July 1, 2011, may still be included in salary for pension purposes even if the payment is not actually made until on or after July 1, 2011. In any event, with respect to unused sick leave and unused annual leave accrued prior to July 1, 2011, Salary will include the lesser of the amount of sick or annual leave time accrued on July 1, 2011 or the actual amount of sick or annual leave time for which the retiree receives payment at the time of retirement, regardless of whether the amount of sick or annual leave was, at some time prior to retirement, reduced below the amount on July 1, 2011. Compensation in excess of the limitations set forth in section 401(a)(17) of the Code as of the first day of the plan year shall be disregarded for any purpose, including employee contributions or any benefit calculations. The annual compensation of each member taken into account in determining benefits or employee contributions for any plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2002, may not exceed two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000.00), as adjusted for cost-of-living increases in accordance with Code Section 401(a)(17)(B). Compensation means compensation during the fiscal year. The cost-of-living adjustment in effect for a calendar year applies to annual compensation for the determination period that begins with or within such calendar year. If the determination period consists of fewer than twelve (12) months, the annual compensation limit is an amount equal to the otherwise applicable annual compensation limit multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of months in the short determination period, and the denominator of which is twelve (12). If the compensation for any prior determination period is taken into account in determining a member's contributions or benefits for the current plan year, the compensation for such prior determination period is subject to the applicable annual compensation limit in effect for that prior period. The limitation on compensation for an "eligible employee" shall not be less than the amount which was allowed to be taken into account hereunder as in effect on July 1, 1993. "Eligible employee" is an individual who was a member before the first plan year beginning after December 31, 1995.

Spouse means the member's or retiree's spouse under applicable law at the time benefits become payable.

System means the City of Winter Haven Firefighters' Retirement System as contained herein and all amendment thereto.

(2)

Masculine gender. The masculine gender, where used herein, unless the context specifically requires otherwise, shall include both the feminine and masculine genders.

(Ord. No. O-10-19, § 1, 7-26-10; Ord. No. O-13-23, § 2, 8-12-13; Ord. No. O-17-29 , § 1, 6-12-17)