Members with prior service in federally operated state schools; eligibility for special credits.

(1) Any member of the Teachers’ Retirement System or the Florida Retirement System established respectively by this chapter and chapter 121 who taught in a public school in Florida which was taken over and operated by the United States Government pursuant to Pub. L. No. 81-874 or other Federal Law, may claim and receive credit in the retirement system in which he or she is participating for the time he or she taught in such schools, while they were operated by the United States Government under the following conditions, provided credit for such teaching time has not been granted in any other state or federal retirement system.

(a) If the member was a member of the Teachers’ Retirement System prior to the time he or she began teaching in the public schools operated by the United States Government, he or she may claim and receive credit for such teaching time in the retirement system in which he or she is participating as prior service upon the payment of the amounts required to obtain credit for such prior service pursuant to the laws and rules governing the administration of his or her retirement system.

(b) If the member was not a member of the Teachers’ Retirement System prior to the time he or she began teaching in the public schools operated by the United States Government, he or she may claim and receive retirement credit for such teaching time in the following manner:

1. A member of the Teachers’ Retirement System may receive retirement credit for the time he or she taught in such federally operated schools as prior teaching service outside the state pursuant to the provisions of s. 238.06(4).

2. A member of the Florida Retirement System may receive retirement credit for the time he or she taught in such federally operated schools as past service pursuant to the provisions of, and following the payment of the amounts specified in, s. 121.081(1), notwithstanding any contrary provisions in said s. 121.021(18), or other provisions of law.

(2) The administrator of the retirement system shall make such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out and implement the provisions of this section.