TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: John A. Titkanich, Jr., County Administrator
DATE: April 28, 2025
SUBJECT: Revised Requested Salary Increase - Chief Medical Examiner, District 19
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BACKGROUND
Subsequent to the April 8, 2025, BOCC regular meeting, representatives from our partner counties requested to meet and discuss the request by Dr. Aronica for a salary increase. Chairman Flescher, representatives from St. Lucie County, Martin County, Okeechobee County, and I met on Friday, April 25, 2025.
During the discussion, representatives of our partner counties expressed the desire to retain Dr. Aronica as the District 19 Medical Examiner, of which her salary was the primary discussion point. Midway through the meeting Dr. Aronica was invited into the meeting to join the discussion. Dr. Aronica noted since her tenure the office eliminated the backlog of cases, the office had become accredited, and the office had applied and received $380,000 in grants to offset the budget for capital such as vehicles and a new electronic record database, as well as fund a part-time IT employee. Additionally, she noted she's been involved in working with the design team to ensure the district builds an appropriate facility specific to the needs of the community, and with that she's been judicious in monitoring costs. In addition to her 23 years experience, she's tripled board certified, and she's seeking to be reasonably and fairly compensated for her experience and work thus far. Lastly, Dr. Aronica emphasized she enjoys the community and doesn't want to leave.
ANALYSIS
Following Dr. Aronica stepping out of the meeting, the discussion concerning her salary continued. Concerns were expressed that the loss of Dr. Aronica would affect the current level of service, require a search for a replacement that may take 6 to 9 months, and the future base salary may be close to Dr. Aron...
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