What does an ex-State Attorney who is fired by the voters after 20 years in the office do to earn some extra cash? He gets a part-time job with the Sheriff's Office, of course. And the hourly rate isn't too shabby by Key West standards.
Sheriff Rick Roth is paying former State Attorney Kirk Zuelch $36.73 an hour to "assist the Monroe County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) in the transfer of juvenile programs from the State Attorney's Office to the MCSO," according to MCSO spokeswoman Becky Herrin.
Zuelch's title is "Juvenile Programs Transition Manager."
According to Herrin, Zuelch "assists in the training of new employees, seeks grants for the new programs, trains law enforcement personnel about the programs, recruits local attorneys to assist in the Teen Court program, acts as a Teen Court judge, acts as a liaison with the Dept. of Juvenile Justice and other agencies dealing with juveniles, and assists with public education about the programs and with legal advice."
Zuelch reportedly works for the Sheriff's Office 10 hours a week. His salary is paid through a contract between the MCSO and the Dept. of Juvenile Justice for the Intensive Delinquency Diversion Program and the Teen Court, which is funded through a state-mandated surcharge on all criminal cases.
The position is temporary and will reportedly be phased out within six months of the transition being completed. Herrin did not speculate as to when that might be.