One of the hottest topics of discussion that has been good for social media banter was opened up to even more debate over the weekend.
That hot topic being coaches pay with the stipends issued by their respective counties.
In a long-form report, put together by Justin Barney at The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, highlights the pay and how it compares to other counties around the state in several major sports including football, basketball, baseball and softball among several more.
When looking at football, Collier County was reported to have the highest stipend for head football coaches of any county in the state at nearly $6,500 per year, which not surprising giving the wealthy tax base that Collier has available as well as wanting to keep the best football coaches around for a long time.
Collier Co. has best pay in FL. It would take 20 years in that district to reach the halfway pay total of HSFB coaches in Glynn Co., Ga.
— Justin Barney (@JustinBarneyTV) July 10, 2016
However, the second highest stipend in the state was a shocker, with Clay County the only other county to pay a stipend to head football coaches above the $6,000 range at nearly $6,400.
The county with the lowest stipend pay for head football coaches is Pinellas County which comes in at just nearly $2,800 a year. The largest school district in the state, Miami-Dade County, pays just over $4,600 a year to its head football coaches in stipend pay.
Three counties don’t pay a stipend at all to head football coaches which all have placed the head football coaching job with an administrative position like athletic director in order to retain the best possible coaches. Those counties include Okaloosa, Walton and Bay.
Only 3 counties in Florida where the football coaching job is tied to an administrative high paying position. All of them in the Panhandle!
— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) July 10, 2016
What is worse though the report indicated that some counties like Duval and Columbia counties have not increased stipend pay for coaches since 1986 and 1988 respectively. Theoretically a coach made nearly $6,000 more 30 years ago in Duval County when adjusted for inflation in today’s dollars.
With the topic hot on a lot of coaches minds given that there have been 131 coaching changes dating back to August 1, they certainly chimed in with their opinions:
Some might have explain the real reason why coaches pay has been stagnant in Florida:
Agree100% it's not a tax issue its a worth issue.Teacher unions control coaches pay
— Bill Wiles (@BillWiles1) July 10, 2016
And if the issue doesn’t get fixed sooner rather than later, could be another problem schools don’t want to face:
when it happens will be a mess! a tough fix for school districts.More coaches on campus=better school culture
— Bill Wiles (@BillWiles1) July 10, 2016
off campus coaches n a lot of cases r a problem cause they have no skin n the game.There r exceptions.Exceptions r a blessing
— Bill Wiles (@BillWiles1) July 10, 2016
I predict less & less cats going into coaching in FL cause of the pay.HS football coaches will be 80%+ off campus ppl
— Bill Wiles (@BillWiles1) July 10, 2016
Of course a reminder as to why Texas and more importantly Alabama and Georgia have drawn coaches from Florida to their states:
and I'm not even the boss, but make a lot more than when I was the HC!
— chris baker (@TheCoachBaker) July 10, 2016
NOTE: Chris Baker is a former head coach in Florida who has coached at Trenton and Newberry high schools.
I remember an article in a west Palm paper 3-4 years ago on just that…a lot of coaches head to GA. Better $
— JW (@coachjpworden) July 10, 2016
The big money is in Texas n Georgia for HS coaching!
— L.O.F 386 (@deezie386) July 10, 2016
You can view the interactive map with how the rates compared to the average stipend a coach makes here.
To the read the full report on the coaches pay from The Florida Times-Union click here.
