Gov. DeSantis delivers law enforcement bonuses in Bay County

Florida’s Governor is continuing to back the blue with bonuses for hard work, “changing their lives for the better” a few thousand dollars at a time.

As he has elsewhere in the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the Panhandle with $5,000 checks for first responders, praising their work.

“Florida’s crime rate is at a 50-year low. I always say obviously you can’t do that without the folks who are actually in uniform making that happen,” DeSantis said at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Panama City.

And members of law enforcement have friends in Tallahassee, DeSantis explained ahead of delivering new bonus checks, which now amount to “over 9,400 bonuses” at “5,000 smackers a pop,” the Governor said.

DeSantis’ additional remarks focused, as they often do, on other states working to “defund the police” or pass so-called “jailbreak policies” in contrast to Florida’s stance in support of law enforcement.

The money is especially needed, he said, given the higher cost of living, which makes it harder for police salaries to keep up given the inflation of recent years.

Transfers from other departments, including in less police-friendly areas, are eligible for the $5,000 check, as are new recruits.

“From a morale perspective, this program has been really good,” DeSantis said.

Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford noted that DeSantis has “stood shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement” during “challenging times” such as populist-left movements in 2019 and 2020 in which it was “fashionable” to “criticize or defund the police.”

“He restored pride to our profession,” Ford argued.

Ford noted that 40 deputies in his county have gotten the checks, and the state commitment makes a difference in bringing recruits on.

Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison lauded DeSantis for being sure to “have our back,” which Harrison said is especially important for fiscally constrained counties like his and others.