Coral Gables Firefighters: Which Tier You Are In Decides Everything
Coral Gables runs its own retirement system, and firefighter benefits were rewritten in 2013. Whether you were vested before October 1, 2013 changes your multiplier, your retirement date and your early retirement rights. One more thing most planning conversations miss entirely: Coral Gables firefighters are not covered by Social Security.
Reviewed October 2026. Every figure below is sourced to a named plan document with its date, listed at the end of this page.
You are probably not covered by Social Security
The Florida Division of Retirement's inventory of municipalities carries a flat notation for Coral Gables: no Social Security coverage on firefighters.
If that holds for you, it reshapes your entire retirement income picture. There is no Social Security benefit arriving at 62 or 67 to layer on top of your pension, which means your pension, your DROP account, your 457(b) and anything you have saved privately are doing all of the work. It also changes how you should think about a spouse's benefits.
This matters enough that you should confirm it with City HR directly rather than taking a survey table's word for it — including mine.
Which plan you are actually in
Your plan is the City of Coral Gables Retirement System.
| Plan type | A single consolidated local-ordinance plan covering four groups — general employees, excluded employees, firefighters (IAFF Local 1210) and police officers — inside one trust with one 13-member board. It is not a police-and-fire plan. |
|---|---|
| Codified at | City of Coral Gables Code, Chapter 46 (“Pensions”). |
| Statutory framework | Subject to Florida Statutes Chapters 112, 175 and 185. It receives Chapter 175 state premium-tax funding as a local law plan. |
| Not FRS | City Commission members joined FRS effective May 27, 2008. That applies to commissioners only — not to firefighters. |
What the plan documents say
| Provision | What it says |
|---|---|
| Vesting | 10 years of credited service, both tiers. Automatic at your normal retirement date. If you leave vested before then you can take a deferred benefit or a refund of your own contributions.Source: SPD June 2024; FY2023-24 Audit |
| Cap | 75% of average final compensation, both tiers.Source: SPD June 2024 |
| Average final compensation | Highest 5-year average for retirements on or after October 1, 2014. Pensionable earnings exclude overtime, unused leave and tuition reimbursement.Source: FY2023-24 Audit; SPD |
| Employee contribution | 10% of pensionable earnings, effective September 30, 2014.Source: IAFF CBA §41.1(g); FY2023-24 Audit |
| Share plan | A separate Firefighter Share Plan exists alongside the pension, confirmed by the State. Neither Summary Plan Description mentions it at all, so its allocation formula, funding and vesting are unknown from public documents.Source: FL Division of Retirement Appendix J |
The two firefighter tiers
Tier 1 — vested by October 1, 2013
Normal retirement: the earliest of age 65, age 52 with 10 years, or the Rule of 70 (age plus full years of service reaching 70).
Multiplier: 3.00% per year for all credited service.
Early retirement: age 50 with 10 years, reduced 3.0% per year — but only if you were vested and at least age 50 as of September 30, 2013.
Tier 2 — hired on or after October 1, 2013
Normal retirement: age 51 with 25 years, or the Rule of 76. Effective October 1, 2019, firefighters at the Rule of 76 may also retire at 25 years of service regardless of age.
Multiplier: 3.00% for years 1–10, then 2.50% for years 11–24, then 10% for the 25th year — which lands you at the 75% cap at exactly 25 years.
Early retirement: not available.
One thing that applies to everyone: all service you earned through September 30, 2013 accrues at 3.00%, whichever tier you are in.
Your DROP: eight years, with a floor and a ceiling
| Maximum | 96 months (8 years) for firefighters. General employees get 60 months; police also get 96. |
|---|---|
| Entry | Mirrors normal retirement. Tier 1: the Rule of 70, age 52 with 10 years, or age 65, whichever comes first. Tier 2: age 51 with 25 years, or the Rule of 76. |
| How it grows | At the plan's actual investment return, with a 3% floor and a ceiling at the plan's assumed rate of return, compounded annually. It is neither a fixed rate nor self-directed — you get the plan's return, collared. |
| What you give up | Once you are in the DROP you forfeit disability and pre-retirement death benefits. You elect your monthly-benefit payment form at DROP entry, not at the end. Nothing pays out until you actually separate from the City. |
Where your own plan documents disagree
This is the part no other page will tell you. In researching this plan I read the Summary Plan Description, the audited financial statements, the actuarial valuation and the collective bargaining agreement side by side. On the following points they do not say the same thing, or they say nothing at all.
I am not going to guess at a number that decides when you can retire or how much you will have. Here is exactly what is unresolved, and exactly what to ask.
Your union contract expired on September 30, 2026
Firefighter pension terms in Coral Gables are collectively bargained and then written into ordinance. The IAFF Local 1210 agreement that produced every figure on this page ran through September 30, 2026 and has now expired. A successor agreement could already have changed the multiplier, the DROP period or the contribution rate. Before you act on anything here, ask where the successor contract stands.
The DROP maximum may not be 96 months for everyone
The June 2024 SPD states 96 months with no qualification. The FY2023-24 audit says eight years specifically for “firefighter members who entered the DROP before February 28, 2017” and says nothing about anyone entering later. The SPD is the more recent member-facing document, but the conflict is unresolved and it matters a great deal if you are entering the DROP now.
Nobody publishes how your DROP account pays out
The SPD describes the annuity forms for your monthly pension and then says the DROP account balance “is paid out” at termination — without listing a single method. Lump sum? Direct rollover? Installments? Unstated. Do not assume a rollover is available until the plan administrator confirms it.
No public document names your 457(b) provider
Not the SPDs, not the audited financials, not the actuarial valuation, not the IAFF contract, not the Retirement System's own web pages. The 457(b) is run by City HR rather than the Retirement System, and HR has published nothing. The City does have a defined contribution plan, but it is expressly closed to police officers and firefighters, so it is not your 457(b).
There is a live technical issue with Chapter 175 minimum benefits
The October 1, 2024 valuation states that the one Chapter 175/185 minimum-benefit requirement the plan does not meet is the early retirement benefit for firefighters who were not eligible as of September 30, 2013. That is an open technical matter, not a settled fact, and if it describes you it is worth asking about.
Your 457(b)
Not documented anywhere public. See the conflicts above — this is a genuine gap, not an omission on this page. Direct 457(b) questions to City HR, not to the Retirement System or its administrator.
Your 457(b) is separate from your pension and separate from your DROP. A governmental 457(b) has one feature worth knowing: distributions after you separate from service are not subject to the 10% early distribution penalty, regardless of your age. That is unusual, it does not apply to a 401(k) or an IRA in the same way, and it can matter a great deal to a firefighter who retires in their forties or fifties. More on governmental 457(b) rules.
What to ask, and who to ask
Contact the plan administrator, GRS Consulting:
- Phone: 954-527-1616
- Email: CGRS-PA@grsconsulting.com
- Member portal: mypensionbenefit.com (PensionSoft)
- 457(b) questions: City of Coral Gables HR — not GRS
Questions worth asking in writing
Ask for answers by email rather than over the phone. You want a record, and whoever helps you plan later will want to read it.
- Where does the successor IAFF agreement stand, and has any implementing ordinance changed firefighter pension terms since September 30, 2026?
- Is my DROP maximum 96 months, given that I entered (or will enter) after February 28, 2017?
- What are my distribution options for the DROP account balance — is a direct rollover to an IRA or a 457(b) available?
- What is the plan's current assumed rate of return? That is the ceiling on my DROP interest and the SPD never states the number.
- What are the terms of the Firefighter Share Plan — how is it allocated, funded and vested?
- Do firefighter retirees receive any COLA? Was I a member of the Murrhee class?
- Am I covered by Social Security? (Ask City HR.)
Common questions
Are Coral Gables firefighters covered by Social Security?
The Florida Division of Retirement's inventory of municipalities indicates no Social Security coverage for Coral Gables firefighters. Because that single notation drives your entire retirement income plan, confirm it directly with City HR.
What is the Coral Gables firefighter pension multiplier?
It depends on your tier. If you were vested by October 1, 2013, it is 3.00% per year for all service. If you were hired on or after that date, it is 3.00% for years 1 through 10, 2.50% for years 11 through 24, and 10% for the 25th year, reaching the 75% cap at 25 years.
How long can a Coral Gables firefighter stay in the DROP?
The June 2024 Summary Plan Description says 96 months, or eight years. The FY2023-24 audit describes that eight-year period as applying to firefighters who entered the DROP before February 28, 2017 and is silent about later entrants. The conflict is unresolved, so confirm with the plan administrator before planning around eight years.
How does interest work on the Coral Gables DROP?
Your account is credited with the plan's actual investment return, subject to a 3% floor and a ceiling equal to the plan's assumed rate of return, compounded annually. It is not a fixed rate and it is not self-directed.
Does overtime count toward a Coral Gables firefighter pension?
No. Pensionable earnings exclude overtime, unused leave and tuition reimbursement.
What happens to my disability coverage if I enter the Coral Gables DROP?
You forfeit both disability and pre-retirement death benefits once you enter the DROP. That trade-off should be weighed before you elect it, particularly given the physical risk of the job.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of the following. Where two of them disagree, the page says so rather than picking one.
- Coral Gables Retirement System Summary Plan Description — June 2024, reflecting the Code as of October 1, 2023
- Coral Gables Retirement Plan Audit, FY2023-24 — report dated March 12, 2025
- Coral Gables Actuarial Valuation, October 1, 2024 — report dated April 28, 2025
- IAFF Local 1210 Collective Bargaining Agreement 2020–2026 — expired September 30, 2026
- Florida Division of Retirement, Appendix J — Inventory of Municipalities — September 30, 2025
- Coral Gables Retirement System department page — current
This material is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not individualized investment, insurance, legal, tax or pension advice, and it is not a recommendation.
Pension plan provisions, city ordinances, collective bargaining agreements, Florida law and federal tax law all change. Figures on this page are drawn from the plan documents listed above as of their stated dates and may not reflect the current terms of your plan.
Members should verify their own plan provisions, tier, eligibility, benefit calculation, DROP terms and deadlines directly with the plan administrator, GRS Consulting before acting on anything.
Mark Buckley is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Coral Gables municipal government, City of Coral Gables Retirement System, or any of its administrators or boards.
Tax consequences vary by individual circumstances. Consult an appropriate tax professional regarding individual tax matters.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.