Florida Governor Rick Scott has unveiled new plans to boost the pay of every state-sworn law enforcement officers, giving a much-needed five percent bump in salary to officers, from state troopers and corrections personnel.
“We’re going to give a 5 percent pay raise to all state sworn law enforcement officers,” Scott said.
$12 million will go raising pay for around 4,000 officers in the state, with $38 million going to the salaries of Florida’s corrections officers, who haven’t seen a pay raise in over half a decade.
“With our corrections department, we want to make sure our inmates are safe, or anybody working in prisons is safe,” Scott added.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams things the move is a great step in the right direction.
“We need to take care of these men and women who are out here serving the community. I would agree. I think he’s doing the right thing in taking steps in that direction,” Williams said.
Scott proposed the pay raise back in December of 2016, citing the sacrifices law enforcement makes in the state of Florida.
“Since becoming Governor I have been to 32 funerals for fallen officers who died bravely in the line of duty protecting the communities we call home,” he said at the time. “I’ve cried with their families and seen the pain and grief in their eyes as they laid their loved one to rest. Becoming a law enforcement officer is a special calling and one that requires a conscience choice each and every day to put your life on the line to protect our communities. We must always do everything we can to recognize our law enforcement officers and let them know how much we appreciate their service.”
Last year, the five percent pay raise plan was reported to include sworn officers from the following state agencies: The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Florida Lottery, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Florida Department of Legal Affairs and the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.
According to Action News Jax, the funding for the raises is made possible in part by Florida tourism revenue.
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Thank you Gov. Scott. I hope that County and City PD’s follow your lead and also give their Officers at least a 5% raise over last year. The days of Officers having to work second and even third job like I did just to survive should be over and never return!
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