JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A northeast Florida public defender who lost his re-election bid gave big raises to 11 employees just two days after his defeat.
The Florida Times-Union (https://bit.ly/2cWiuwG) reports that Public Defender Matt Shirk in Jacksonville nearly doubled the salary of an administrative assistant, and upped the pay of an assistant public defender, among others.
Shirk is leaving office in January after being defeated by former County Judge Charles Cofer in an Aug. 30 Republican primary. No Democrats ran.
Cofer said he was frustrated by Shirk’s moves, which amount an extra $15,000 a month in tax dollars. The move came after Shirk fired three people the day after his election defeat.
Cofer says he plans to meet with the office staff to discuss their roles before taking over.
Shirk didn’t return the Times-Union’s calls for comment.
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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, https://www.jacksonville.com
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