Governor Rick Scott issued a proclamation recognizing January 22-26 as Florida First Responder Appreciation Week. To read Governor Scott’s proclamation, click HERE.
Governor Scott said, “Florida is home to the world’s best first responders who never hesitate to keep others safe. Every day they dedicate their lives to protect and serve Florida families. That’s why I am proud to proclaim this week as Florida First Responder Appreciation Week. I encourage all Floridians to thank first responders for their service to their families and communities.”
Governor Scott’s Securing Florida’s Future budget proposes $5.3 billion in public safety, an increase of nearly $200 million over current year funding, and makes important investments to support Florida’s dedicated law enforcement officers. Some proposed public safety investments include:
- $30 million for Florida’s state law enforcement agencies to use for additional pay raises to award Florida’s nearly 4,800 sworn state law enforcement officers;
- $1.3 million to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for incident command vehicles and emergency ordinance disposal vehicles to strengthen counterterrorism and intelligence efforts;
- $2 million to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) law enforcement for a mobile command unit and other technologies that will provide law enforcement real-time information and communications, and will enable faster recovery efforts.
Also, Governor Scott recently announced his support for a proposal being considered by the Constitution Revision Commission to provide free tuition to the families of fallen first responders, state law enforcement officers and military members who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
- The proposal provides 120 credit hours per family at a Florida state college, university or participating technical school.
- If passed by the CRC, the proposal will be on the ballot in 2018 and would require approval of 60 percent of Florida voters.
- The CRC proposal, P 49, was filed by Commissioner Emery Gainey and can be found HERE.
