Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday announced new hiring incentives for correctional officers, including bonuses that range from $3,000 to $5,000.
“Now is the time to become a state correctional officer,” a press release from the governor’s office said.
“As so many cities and states choose to disrespect, degrade and defund the work of men and women in uniform, we want Florida to continue valuing them today, tomorrow and for generations to come,” DeSantis said in the statement.
The governor had said last month that he was interested in offering bonuses to police officers willing to relocate to his state to avoid coronavirus vaccine mandates in their own.
The Wednesday release also said that, beginning in January, state correctional officers’ salary would be increased by 16 percent to $38,750.
“This year, we have prioritized initiatives to recruit and reward high quality officers, especially corrections officers, and these new bonuses, effective immediately, will help support public safety positions within the Florida Department of Corrections,” DeSantis said
He added that all current state correctional officers would get a one-time $1,500 bonus and state probation officers would also get a $3,000 bonus in December.
Christina Pushaw, the governor’s press secretary, said in a statement to The Hill that “incentives for correctional officers are a crucial component of the governor’s plan” to prioritize law enforcement.
“We’re proud to make Florida the most welcoming state for law enforcement,” Pushaw added.
“Florida will be responding, and I think the rule’s going down, I just don’t think that there’s an adequate basis for it, and I think you’ve even seen people on their side acknowledge that they don’t have firm constitutional footing for this,” DeSantis said of Biden’s mandate that businesses with 100 employees or more require their workers to get COVID-19 vaccines or undergo weekly testing.
— Updated at 12:50 p.m.
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