In Florida, Governor DeSantis has made it his top priority to promote public safety, and support law enforcement and first responders. As many anti-police groups call for reform and defunding, Florida leadership has chosen to take a different route. This month, the governor signed a check to provide nearly 100,000 Florida first responders with a $1,000 bonus. This is not the first time Gov. DeSantis has shown his support with funding, last year, thousands of first responders received the first wave of checks from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s “Florida Essential First Responder Recognition Payment Program.” Over the past few years, Gov. DeSantis has enacted many incentives to attract and retain first responders throughout the state. Floridians can be confident of the fact that Gov. DeSantis and leadership in the legislature are providing first responders with the tools they need to keep their communities out of harm’s way.
When Florida first responders receive the support and funding they need to protect our state, they are able to effectively advance public safety, as well as protect citizens from the increasingly dangerous effects of an open border. As the southwestern border continues to battle the waves of illegal immigrants seeking refuge in the U.S., human smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal weapons and lethal drugs pose as a risk to Florida families. To combat these dangers, Governor DeSantis established protective measures over the summer to promote public safety in Florida. In a press release, the governor detailed the actions Florida would take to address the open border, which included a strike force of state and local law enforcement to stop these the illegal activities as a result of the border crisis.
It is important that all law enforcement officers, EMTs, firefighters, and paramedics continue to receive the support and funding they need from the government to protect Florida families. But they need our help and support as well. Powerful figures throughout the country attempt to villainize the many men and women who put their lives on the line every day. We cannot let them win. The results would be detrimental to our society and public safety would crumble. It is up to us to support leadership at all levels of government who will stand with first responders and be champions for our security.