Governor DeSantis announces milestone: More than 10,000 bonuses of $5,000 awarded to new law enforcement recruits
Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis
NAPLES, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida has reached the milestone of more than 10,000 bonuses awarded through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program. Launched in 2022, this first-of-its-kind initiative underscores Florida’s commitment to supporting Florida law enforcement officers. The latest round of bonuses — totaling more than $5 million — went to 744 officers across the state.
“Today in Naples, I was proud to announce a milestone for Florida’s Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program: More than 10,000 bonus payments of $5,000 after-tax have now been distributed to law enforcement personnel across our state,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Many of these new recruits have relocated to Florida from states where law enforcement has been defunded or demoralized by radical political agendas. We’re fortunate to have them here, and Floridians are grateful for their service every day.”
“This milestone of more than 10,000 recruitment bonuses is a tremendous achievement for our state and the dedicated men and women who choose to protect our communities,” said Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ leadership, these bonuses not only help our new officers and their families get settled, but they also strengthen our neighborhoods, improve public safety, and support the long-term well-being of communities throughout Florida.”
The program provides a one-time $5,000 bonus — after taxes — to newly relocated and employed officers as a show of appreciation and incentive for choosing to serve in Florida. Each of the more than 10,000 newly recruited officers has received a $5,000 bonus after taxes, with the program distributing more than $67.9 million to date.
The bonuses are part of a broader initiative to solidify Florida’s position as the nation’s law-and-order state. Under the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget, the Governor secured $49 million in pay increases for more than 16,200 state sworn law enforcement officers, raised the minimum base pay to $60,000, and provided significant raises for both entry-level and veteran officers — 10% and 15% increases, respectively. The state has also expanded wellness resources, enhanced penalties for crimes against officers, introduced law enforcement education programs in high schools, and launched the Florida Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program to cover training costs for new recruits.
In addition to a $5,000 recruitment bonus, benefits of becoming a Florida law enforcement officer include financial stability, upward mobility, excellent health and retirement benefits, student loan forgiveness programs, home loan programs, and more.
For more information about the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment, visit FloridaJobs.org/Recognition-and-Recruitment.
😇Hallelujah… now do something about Repeat Offenders and SCUMMY judges, lawyers and plea dealers👿
10,000 got hired, after more than 10,000 retired or quit. You got to be nuts to pin on a badge these days.
We’ve got a ways to go before Mission Accomplished moment.
Claude AI is phenomenal!
Florida National Guard is still deployed in state prisons as of early 2025. Here’s a full picture:
Current Status
The Florida National Guard has been deployed to help with staffing issues in Florida prisons since September 2022. What was meant to be a “temporary short-term” measure has now stretched well over two years, with Gov. DeSantis extending the emergency order four times — most recently in December 2024.
As of February 2025, approximately 283 National Guard members are working at prisons. The latest extension was described as providing a “phased demobilization effort,” with the activation set to expire June 9, 2025.
Cost So Far
At least $64 million has been spent since 2022 deploying troops into prisons. Gov. DeSantis requested an additional $8.2 million to fund the continued deployment through June 2025.