Local government officials paid more than average taxpayer

Historic City News has learned that the per capita personal income in St Johns County in 2014 was $58,379*.

Of just over 7,500 combined city and county government employees with records maintained by Historic City News, we find that over 400 are paid more than $70,000 per year, plus benefits. More than half of those are paid at least $80,000 per year.

The highest paid local government employee is Predrag Bulic; the District 23 Medical Examiner. His $221,114 salary is shared with other counties in the district. The highest paid employee whose income is sustained solely by St Johns County is County Manager, Michael David Wanchick. Hired on July 30, 2007, Wanchick is paid $213,973.

Of the 218 people who are paid over $80,000, the longest serving was Property Appraiser Sharon Outland with 37-years on the job. As a Constitutional officer, her $131,700 annual salary was set by Florida statute. She retired this month.

The most recently hired employee in this high-end salary group was Benjamin W Bright. He was hired last month as manager at the County Road and Bridge Department for a salary of $88,000 per year, plus benefits.

Data extracted for this report was collected in December.

*U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2014 Per Capita Personal Income in St Johns County, FL [PCPI12109], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, January 7, 2017.