As wildfires scorch the Sunshine State, advocates keep the focus on first responders

Floridians are being reminded this year about how critical firefighters are to the safety of our families, homes and businesses.

With fires blazing from Collier to Clay County during an already overactive fire season — and two months ahead of schedule — firefighters of all types have been deployed across the state to protect Floridians and their property.

During a press conference just feet from where a 4,400-acre railroad fire had ravaged Green Cove Springs, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said “Florida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years or it’s turning out to be that way. We’ve been in drought for 18 months now all across the state.”

Long drought, low humidity and strong winds have only exacerbated the impacts of the blazes. The Florida Forest Service reports having already responded to more than 1,500 wildfires burning nearly 100,000 acres in the first months of 2026.

The scale of the crisis is statewide. In Southwest Florida, the Newman Drive Fire tore through the Picayune Strand State Forest east of Naples, growing to more than 1,700 acres and forcing evacuations in Collier County before crews from more than a dozen agencies gained control. Additional fires have burned in Baker, Dixie, Broward and Nassau counties.

Emergency officials warn conditions could worsen, with forecasters predicting little to no rainfall through the end of June. Without a coordinated, statewide response effort, officials warn the damage would have been far worse.

“Everyone knows that our first responders and our communities are our hometown heroes. They’re the backbone of their communities,” said Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Blaise Ingoglia at a recent press conference. “It is my opinion, and the opinion of most, that if we are going to ask our brothers and sisters to head towards danger, we need to make sure that we take care of them on the other end.”

It is against that backdrop that a coalition of Florida’s first responder organizations is making their case in Tallahassee this Session: The men and women fighting those fires deserve better than a pension that erodes more and more each year.

The Florida Professional Firefighters, Florida Police Benevolent Association, Fraternal Order of Police, Florida Police Chiefs Association and emergency response advocates from across the state have joined together to educate Floridians on the importance of restoring critical retirement benefits for more than 125,000 past and present first responders.

Cost of living adjustments (COLA) are intended to help retirement benefits keep pace with inflation, and in turn the rise in cost of goods and services over time. Without these adjustments, the value of these pensions is reduced over time.

In 2011, significant changes were made to Florida Retirement System benefits, including elimination of a 3% COLA for members enrolled after July 1, 2011, and diminishing the benefits for those hired before. The legislation that suspended COLA for employees hired on or after July 1, 2011, called on the Legislature to re-address this issue in 2016. Ten years later, however, the suspension remains.

COLA is not a new benefit: It protects benefits that have already been rightfully earned.  Constant turnover, recruitment and training of new officers’ costs taxpayers more over the long run and puts their safety at risk.

A meaningful cost of living adjustment is critical to ensure Florida rewards the dedicated and skilled professionals who keep our communities safe. These Floridians have earned their retirement benefits, and we must work to ensure they do not lose their value over time.

Support during wildfires is only one of the countless ways Florida’s firefighters and first responders serve their communities throughout the year. It is due time Floridians stand by the hardworking men and women who come to our aid year-round by choosing to support them after their years of service.