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Fernandina Beach Police Department entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
Fernandina Beach Police Department starts at $61,000 a year — about $29.33 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,390 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $10,264 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Florida run about 3% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $58,986 somewhere at average prices — $2,014 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 122 against a national average of 100, where goods are 98. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
How big the department isFernandina Beach Police Department reported 38 sworn officers and 6 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 2.8 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 13,822.A rate is only meaningful for a city department, where the population served is the city’s own. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.
About Fernandina Beach
Fernandina Beach Police Department is the northernmost police department in Florida, serving an island community of about 12,000 residents and thousands of annual visitors on Amelia Island, at the Atlantic end of the Georgia line. It is a fully accredited agency of 38 full-time and two part-time sworn officers alongside seven civilian staff, working to core values of partnership, integrity and respect. Officers hold standing neighbourhood assignments across the city and are expected to take ownership of problem-solving in their own area. Its Police Auxiliary Corps runs more than a hundred volunteers covering special events, traffic direction, school zones, elder checks and volunteers on patrol, entirely without salaried positions.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. City of Fernandina Beach official Police Officer posting, Job Class Code 1410 — open the source document
Posting dated 2 June 2026, open until filled; Pay Grade Step 1 at $27.93 an hour with the City displaying the annual starting figure as $61,000. NOTE THE ARITHMETIC: $61,000 divided by $27.93 is 2,184 hours, not the 2,080 used elsewhere on this list - a 42-hour week, consistent with a 12-hour rotating schedule. The City's own published annual is recorded, but it is not directly comparable with a 2,080-hour figure and is flagged for recheck.
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
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How this level compares
Where Fernandina Beach sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Fernandina Beach starts at $61,000, so $10,287 below the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Fernandina Beach Police Department officer make?
Fernandina Beach Police Department starts a new officer on $61,000 a year, about $29.33 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from City of Fernandina Beach official Police Officer posting, Job Class Code 1410.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Florida?
It ranks #90 of 141 agencies we have verified in Florida — 51 pay less, 89 pay more in the state — and #1,194 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,390 below, and against other municipal agencies $10,264 below.
Compare with another department
Put Fernandina Beach Police Department side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in FL
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Fernandina | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boca Raton Police Services Department | Municipal | 195 | $86,674 | +$25,674 | #270 |
| 2 | Fort Lauderdale Police Department | Municipal | 565 | $81,723 | +$20,723 | #354 |
| 3 | Plantation Police Department | Municipal | 164 | $81,000 | +$20,000 | #379 |
| 4 | Pinecrest Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $80,912 | +$19,912 | #383 |
| 5 | Sunny Isles Beach Police Department | Municipal | 65 | $80,000 | +$19,000 | #411 |
| 6 | Aventura Police Department | Municipal | 91 | $78,556 | +$17,556 | #441 |
| 7 | Coral Springs Police Department | Municipal | 222 | $77,516 | +$16,516 | #470 |
| 8 | Boynton Beach Police Department | Municipal | 173 | $76,650 | +$15,650 | #490 |
| 9 | North Palm Beach Police Department | Municipal | 37 | $76,378 | +$15,378 | #497 |
| 10 | Naples Police Department | Municipal | 74 | $76,320 | +$15,320 | #501 |
| 11 | West Palm Beach Police Department | Municipal | 295 | $75,921 | +$14,921 | #524 |
| 12 | Bay Harbor Islands Police Department | Municipal | 24 | $75,836 | +$14,836 | #528 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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