Department of Financial Services reports 119 long‑term vacancies, asks for salary realignment

TALLAHASSEE — Scott Fennell, deputy chief financial officer for the Department of Financial Services, told the State Administration Budget Subcommittee that DFS currently has 119 positions vacant more than 180 days, roughly 6% of the department's FTEs.

"DFS at this time has a 119 vacancies that are over 180 days, which is about 6% of our total FTEs in the department," Fennell said, and added that roughly 76% of those vacancies are in first‑responder or insurance functions, with the remaining 24% in lawyer and accountant roles.

Fennell described recruitment challenges common across several agencies: market pay differentials with the private sector, private employers' remote‑work flexibility, and the location of certain offices that require higher salaries to attract candidates. To address those challenges, DFS uses university job fairs, industry job boards, pooled postings and career development plans for investigators and analysts. He said DFS had realigned $1.6 million within its budget request to increase salary dollars and asked for committee support to use those funds to fill and retain staff.

Committee members asked whether law‑enforcement roles require county residency; Fennell said employees must live in the area where the office is located and offered to provide maps of 'law enforcement regions.' He also said remote work is generally governed by agency policy and that DFS would likely seek legislative authorization to open hybrid arrangements broadly.

Fennell acknowledged lengthy vacancies but said many roles are mission‑critical, that some positions are on hold for reorganizations, and that filling long‑term vacancies would allow the agency to undertake more investigations and speed consumer services.

The committee asked for follow‑up materials, including a map of law‑enforcement regions and position‑by‑position explanations for the longest‑standing vacancies.