Terms Used In Florida Statutes > Chapter 51 - Summary Procedure

• Administrator: means the secretary of the Department of Management Services. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Average final compensation: means :
  1. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Average monthly compensation: means one-twelfth of average final compensation. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Beneficiary: means the joint annuitant or any other person, organization, estate, or trust fund designated by the member to receive a retirement benefit, if any, which may be payable upon the member's death. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Benefit: means any pension payment, lump-sum or periodic, to a member, retiree, or beneficiary, based partially or entirely on employer contributions or employee contributions, if applicable. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Calendar month: means one of the 12 divisions of a year as determined by the Gregorian calendar (e. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Compensation: means the monthly salary paid a member by his or her employer for work performed arising from that employment. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Department of Management Services. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Division: means the Division of Retirement in the department. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Employer: means any agency, branch, department, institution, university, institution of higher education, or board of the state, or any county agency, branch, department, board, district school board, municipality, metropolitan planning organization, or special district of the state which participates in the system for the benefit of certain of its employees, or a charter school or charter technical career center that participates as provided in…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Leave of absence: means a leave of absence from employment under the Florida Retirement System, subsequent to November 30, 1970, for which retirement credit may be received in accordance with…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Local agency employer: means the board of county commissioners or other legislative governing body of a county, however styled, including that of a consolidated or metropolitan government; a clerk of the circuit court, sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector, or supervisor of elections, provided such officer is elected or has been appointed to fill a vacancy in an elective office; a community college board of trustees or district school board; or the governing body of any city, metropolitan planning organization created pursuant to…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Member: means any officer or employee who is covered or who becomes covered under this system in accordance with this chapter. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Metropolitan planning organization: means an entity created by an interlocal agreement pursuant to…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Normal retirement date: means the date a member attains normal retirement age and is vested, which is determined as follows:
  (a) If a Regular Class member, a Senior Management Service Class member, or an Elected Officers' Class member initially enrolled:

  1. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Pension: means monthly payments to a retiree derived as provided in this chapter. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Regularly established position: means :
  (a) With respect to a state employer, a position that is authorized and established pursuant to law and is compensated from a salaries and benefits appropriation pursuant to…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Retiree: means a former member of the Florida Retirement System or an existing system who has terminated employment and is receiving benefit payments from the system in which he or she was a member. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Social security coverage: means old-age, survivors, disability, and health insurance, as provided by the federal Social Security Act. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• State board: means the State Board of Administration. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• system: means the general retirement system established by this chapter, including, but not limited to, the defined benefit program administered under this part, referred to as the "Florida Retirement System Pension Plan" or "pension plan" and the defined contribution program administered under part II of this chapter, referred to as the "Florida Retirement System Investment Plan" or "investment plan. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• System Trust Fund: means the trust fund established in the State Treasury by this chapter for the purpose of holding and investing the contributions paid by members and employers and paying the benefits to which members or their beneficiaries may become entitled. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Unit: means any department, division, or subdivision of a city or any classification of city employees approved for social security coverage, as such, by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, not based on age, sex, or other classification resulting in higher than average costs for retirement benefits. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• vesting: means the guarantee that a member is eligible to receive a future retirement benefit upon completion of the required years of creditable service for the employee's class of membership, even though the member may have terminated covered employment before reaching normal or early retirement date. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01