MIAMI.- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference to reaffirm the Sunshine State’s support for law enforcement at a time when crime is at its lowest level in 50 years.
“As long as I am governor, Florida will support our law enforcement officers and ensure they have the resources they need,” DeSantis said Tuesday, July 23, in Orlando.
According to the governor, Florida is a national model for a state of law and order.
DeSantis compared what is happening in Florida with other states such as California, New York or Illinois.
“In Los Angeles, they cut police funding by $175 million, in San Francisco they cut the budget by $120 million, and the New York Police Department lost a billion dollars from its budget. This has basically been going on since 2020,” the governor said.
“In Washington DC, our nation’s capital, which used to be a relatively clean and orderly city, now, from 2022 to 2023, which is the most recent statistic we have, homicides are up 37%, vehicle thefts are up 103%, violent crime is up 70%… and this is costing about $3.2 billion annually.”
“Of course, the cost of these crimes falls on taxpayers and not on criminals.”
In contrast, DeSantis referred to Florida’s officer recruitment program that gives $5,000 after taxes to new officers who come from other states or to young Floridians who decide to become law enforcement officers.
“Through this program we have welcomed nearly 1,400 new recruits from different states and territories,” the governor said, acknowledging that Florida has spent some $36 million on the recruitment program.
Last month, the Governor signed Focus on Florida’s Future Budget initiative, which includes significant investments in public safety and improvements to law enforcement tools and benefits.
$9.3 million is earmarked to support the fight against the opioid epidemic, about $2 million for new bulletproof vests, $17 million to improve law enforcement databases, including the Biometric Identification Solution (BIS), the Missing and Endangered Persons Clearinghouse, the Alcohol Testing Program, and the Statewide Sexual Assault Tracking System, and $40 million to improve 911 call services.
The governor also referred to the Police Academy scholarship program of up to $1,000.
All of this can be achieved with the surplus that the state of Florida currently has, the governor said.
The Summer Sheriffs’ Conference discusses law and order issues, including the potential harm of marijuana legalization, “which will greatly impact public safety and the health of families in the near future,” said Bill Leeper, president of the Florida Sheriffs’ Association.
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