Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that his administration is giving $1,000 bonuses to all of Florida’s 174,000 first responders, including law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and firefighters.
The move by DeSantis, a rising star in the Republican Party, comes after far-left Democrats across the U.S. repeatedly called for defunding the police last year, and have this year gone as far as to call for abolishing policing and ending the incarceration system in the United States.
DeSantis’ office said in a statement:
The authorization comes following the Governor’s call for the bonuses in March, with the bonuses included in the 2021-22 state budget. While the budget is not yet signed, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is working to immediately implement this bonus program, expediting the distribution effort. Approximately $208 million has been allocated from DEO for over 174,000 first responders across the state, including 49,405 sworn law enforcement officers, 40,732 EMTs, 35,811 firefighters and 33,185 paramedics in Florida.
“Supporting our law enforcement and first responders has been a top priority for my administration, and it has never been more important than over the last year. As a state, we are grateful for their continued service to our communities,” DeSantis said. “This one-time bonus is a small token of appreciation, but we can never go far enough to express our gratitude for their selflessness.”
Some want to defund the police.
In Florida, we’re funding them & then some by providing all of our heroes $1,000 bonuses. This represents more than 174,000 first responders across the state!
🚔🚒🚑 pic.twitter.com/ZMcB9T620g
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 5, 2021