Governor Ron DeSantis followed through on a promise made in the wake of George Floyd’s death and subsequent anti-police sentiment raging across leftist America this week. DeSantis issued the first of six of several hundred bonus checks to local law enforcement in the amount of $5,000.
DeSantis wanted to both recruit and retain good officers, while also ensuring morale remained high in a profession immediately demonized by radical left-wing politicians and organizations like Black Lives Matter.
DeSantis said of the push to prioritize and value local police officers: “We are going to move heaven and earth to make sure this state remains a law and order state. We’re not going to let them take it away from us.”
Was happy to hand deliver $5,000 bonuses this week to six newly recruited officers who came down from states like New York and Maryland. These new Cape Coral Police Officers stepped up and served their community through the Hurricane Ian response. pic.twitter.com/ABhkqqx5je
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 15, 2022
Florida Politics described those eligible for the bonus as anyone who either left law enforcement agencies from a different state or anyone who signed up to become a police officer for the first time in their home state:
Officers who leave another state to come to Florida, or native Floridians who become police officers for the first time, are eligible for the bonuses. The law (HB 3) also placed a requirement of maintaining employment in the law enforcement profession in the state for at least two years or the officer would have to pay the money back, but the clawback provision only applies if the officer is discharged for misconduct.
Florida Politics added that the ceremony featured DeSantis using the amazing hurricane clean up and assistance to celebrate first responders in the program. Florida Politics continued:
DeSantis handed out six checks Friday, but said 335 more are on the way across the state. For some new officers who live in areas hardest-hit by Hurricane Ian, the checks might be delayed. Those sent to Sanibel, for instance, might have to be canceled and re-sent, he said.
One of the recipients was former Maryland police officer Mercedes Phillips, who left the blue state. Phillips said of the acknowledgment:
“From my firsthand experience, there’s been a lot of officers that were alienated and underappreciated in that area of the country. I knew moving to Florida I would be valued and appreciated by my department and citizens and coworkers. All that support from the top feeds down to departments like ours and gives us the motivation and support to make our community that much better.”
And again showing how in tune with DeSantis is of freedom, messaging, and federalism, the checks going out to officers will be worth closer to about $6,000, thus ensuring officers will actually collect the full $5,000 after the IRS has its way with officers.
An analysis cited by Florida Politics, reviewing HB3, the legislation that paved the way for rewarding brave men and women in uniform, showed that the state of Florida has added almost 3,000 new officers in each of the last five years. Worth noting is that during 2020 Florida saw very little in the way of riots and massive damage during protests.
In 2021, DeSantis strengthened the state’s resolve to protect private property and individual rights by signing an “anti-riot” bill. Newsweek said of the bill:
The bill cracks down on protesters accused of participating in riots, defacing historical monuments, as well as obstructing highways and streets. The bill also deems “mob intimidation”—defined as attempting to induce someone into doing an act or adopting a particular viewpoint—as unlawful.
The bill included legislation that offered harsher sentences to criminals who assaulted police officers and enabled lawsuits to move forward against government agencies that interfered with police responses to protests that got out of hand.
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