- April 18, 2024
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Bonuses of up to $5,000 that Gov. Ron DeSantis has sought to entice law-enforcement officers to Florida are moving through the House as part of a broader package focused on people who don badges.
The House Appropriations Committee voted unanimously Monday, Jan. 31, to approve the measure (HB 3), which supporters say could help understaffed law-enforcement agencies and improve the morale of current officers through recruitment and retention.
The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, would establish a bonus program to provide one-time payments of up to $5,000 to newly employed law-enforcement officers in the state, along with bonuses for officers who adopt children. It also would set up a Florida Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program to cover basic training tuition and fees.
“This bill is a small sacrifice to show our appreciation,” Leek said.
Democrats lawmakers praised the package but requested more training for officers.
Rep. Patricia Williams, D-Pompano Beach, said the bill should require new officers to undergo mental and psychological training.
“When it was time for officers to come to my neighborhood, they didn't come to protect, they came to destroy," Williams said. "For the recruitment of out-of-state officers, all previous records of employment, including complaints, discipline actions in internal affairs, should be taken into consideration. Not hand delivered, but mailed directly to the state of Florida agency that will be taking that officer in."
Rep. Matt Willhite, a Wellington Democrat and firefighter, said consideration should also be given to the recruitment of correctional officers and dispatchers.
"I also have had the opportunity to attend and do inspections of multiple prisons in the state of Florida and recognize the shortage we have in our corrections officers,” Willhite said. “We have a major shortage in the state of Florida in our 911 dispatchers, telecommunicators. They’re the first line of the first-responder system. And if we don't have enough of them, the rest of the system fails.”
The measure needs approval from the Judiciary Committee before it could go to the full House. A Senate version has not been filed.
Under the proposal, the state Department of Economic Opportunity would develop minimum eligibility requirements for newly employed officers to get bonus payments.
A House staff analysis of the bill said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office offers $2,500 signing bonuses for candidates with two or more years of full-time law enforcement experience and $1,500 to others, while Fort Myers offers relocation assistance of up to $5,000 for out-of-state candidates, $3,000 for in-state candidates, and $1,000 for newly hired officers.
DeSantis, who is up for re-election this year, has made beefing up law enforcement a hallmark of his policies through such things as the proposed $5,000 signing bonuses.
“My proposals to increase pay for state law enforcement by up to 25 percent and to provide $5,000 signing bonuses to law enforcement personnel who either transfer to or begin their careers in Florida will spark a tidal wave of qualified professionals seeking employment at agencies throughout the state,” he said during a State of the State address Jan. 11.
Under Leek’s bill, another $1,000 could be available to cover training costs for people who are recruited.
Also, an officer could also draw $10,000 for adopting through the state child welfare system, with the benefit growing to $25,000 for adopting a child with special needs.
The bill also would increase the base salary for each county sheriff by $5,000. Last week, DeSantis received the endorsement of 56 sheriffs.
The proposal also would allow veterans and other people with associate degrees or higher to skip a basic-skills test required to enter the law-enforcement basic recruit training program.
