This year, law enforcement officers across Florida will receive a hefty pay increase. The Florida Senate’s proposed 2023-2024 budget is set to contain several critical elements of Governor Ron DeSantis’ “Freedom First” spending plan, including tens of millions in bonuses for police and other public employees.
The new budget will allocate $110 million for one-time recognition payments to first responders, more than doubling the amount already granted through the Essential First Responders Recognition Payment Program. Police, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics are all eligible to receive $1,000 each after taxes through the program. Nearly 80,000 first responders received bonuses under the 2022 iteration of the program.
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Florida Highway Police (FHP) can also expect a salary increase. FHP troopers in Alachua, Baker, Brevard, Clay, Charlotte, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Hillsborough, Indian River, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Santa Rosa, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia counties will receive a $5,000 bonus under the new budget.
Troopers that perform additional responsibilities as K-9 handlers, felony officers, criminal interdiction officers, criminal investigation and intelligence officers, drug recognition experts, hazardous material squad members, motorcycle squad members, or Honor Guard, among others, would receive an additional $2,000 pay increase. K-9 handlers working under the Department of Financial Services would also receive a $2,000 bonus.
The budget also establishes a minimum salary of $55,000 for state law enforcement in Florida, up from $50,000.
The 2023 budget would be the second year in a row that Florida law enforcement would receive sizable pay increases at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The proposal is rooted in a years-long effort by DeSantis to fix staffing shortages and reduce crime–which is now at a record low, as the Governor noted in a March press release.
“Florida’s crime rate is at a 50-year low, with total crime dropping 8.3% in 2021 and murder offenses dropping by 14%. In comparison, New York City saw a 22% increase in overall major crime in 2022 according to New York Police Department Crime Statistics and in California, 2021 was the deadliest year since 2007 with homicides rising 7.2% over the year according to California Criminal Justice Statistical reports.”
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The Governor recently traveled to New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois on tour to support police unions to entice officers to move to his state. The senate’s current budget proposal would allocate $20 million in bonuses for new police recruits, which includes 431 recruits from 45 states around the country, according to the Governor’s office. DeSantis announced on March 1 that 1,400 recruits had each received a $5,000 bonus through the current program. More than $7 million has already been awarded to new police recruits.
“In Florida, our number one priority is to protect Floridians and the best way to do that is by supporting the law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe,” Gov. DeSantis said in the March press release. “My administration will continue to deliver on our promises by prioritizing law-and-order policies and making Florida the best state to be a law enforcement officer.”
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