Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is trying to entice disgruntled law enforcement officers to move to the State with a generous bonus of $5,000, IgbereTV reports.
Some states in the US have ordered law enforcement officers and health care workers to get vaccinated or lose their jobs leading to some police officers resigning in large numbers.
On Tuesday, October 26, DeSantis said that his offer was unrelated to vaccine mandates that many cities and states are implementing on state workers. However, he added that he does not “think police officers should be fired for shots.”
“It will be available to anyone who comes,” DeSantis said at an economic event in North Venice. “If people are saying it’s a vaccine issue, it’s not. It has nothing do with that.”
DeSantis claimed that his proposed legislation takes into account the feelings that many police officers have.
“We are 100% excited about saying anyone that’s being mistreated, if the morale is low, if you can’t take that environment — and we have openings here — you are going to get an environment where people are going to support you,” DeSantis said.
The Florida governor added that the state is seeking to gain the upper hand on cities like New York and San Francisco and their rising crime and decreasing police budgets.