Ron DeSantis has been generous to Florida state workers during his time as Governor.
That generosity just created a stark contrast with the Trump administration.
And Ron DeSantis just gave state workers a gift that Donald Trump denied to federal employees.
Florida's 100,000 state employees just scored something federal workers can only dream about right now — extended holiday weekends when they need them most.
DeSantis announced state offices will close November 26, December 26, and January 2 on top of the regular Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays.
Florida workers get a full five days off for Thanksgiving and four-day weekends around both Christmas and New Year's.
"Our state employees have worked hard throughout the year," DeSantis said in a statement.
https://twitter.com/PowerOwn45/status/1989369053669159167?s=20
DeSantis Rewards Workers While Trump's DOGE Fires Thousands
The timing makes this look like a direct rebuke of what's happening in Washington.
While DeSantis hands out extra paid days off, Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has been conducting what amounts to the largest federal workforce purge in modern American history.
DOGE has either laid off or targeted for layoffs approximately 280,000 federal workers and contractors across 27 agencies.
The cuts hit so hard and so fast that state unemployment systems are struggling to process the claims.
Federal workers are filing for unemployment at rates not seen since the 2008 financial crisis.
About 62,530 federal workers got dismissed in just the first two months of 2025 alone — a staggering 41,311 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Meanwhile in Florida, state workers are planning their extended holiday vacations.
The Pattern Shows DeSantis Knows How To Treat Employees
This isn't some one-time political stunt from DeSantis.
The Florida Governor has made extended holiday weekends a regular practice throughout his time in office.
He closed state offices July 3 this year for Independence Day weekend.
In 2024, he gave workers December 23, 24, and 31 off for the Christmas holidays.
The year before that, state offices closed November 22, December 26, December 29, and January 2.
DeSantis has also delivered on pay raises — state workers received three consecutive annual raises from 2022 through 2024.
They got a 3% raise in 2024, another increase in 2023, and their first raise in 12 years back in 2022.
That 2022 raise was particularly meaningful because Florida state workers had been among the lowest paid in the nation.
DeSantis did leave raises out of his 2025-26 budget proposal, but the Legislature still passed a 2% increase for workers.
Federal Workers Face Chaos While Florida Employees Get Stability
The contrast couldn't be more stark.
Federal workers who survived the initial DOGE purge are living in constant fear about whether they'll keep their jobs.
Thousands got rehired after judges blocked some of the mass layoffs as illegal.
Then they got laid off again when the Supreme Court overturned those lower court rulings.
Some federal agencies saw their headquarters staff slashed by 79%.
The chaos has left government services crippled — longer wait times for everything from Social Security to Veterans Affairs.
Trump's administration stripped away employment protections from career civil servants, making them vulnerable to political firings.
Federal workers can now be fired for no reason other than disagreeing with the administration's policies.
That's a complete reversal of how the civil service has operated for over a century.
Meanwhile, Florida state workers know exactly where they stand.
They're getting consistent raises, extended holiday weekends, and job security.
Florida operates with one of the smallest and most efficient state workforces in the nation — just 82 state employees per 10,000 residents compared to the national average of 164.
DeSantis proved you can run a lean, efficient government without creating chaos and destroying people's livelihoods.
¹ Skyler Shepard, "Florida state offices to close additional days during the holidays," CBS12, November 17, 2025.
² Jim Rosica, "Florida state workers getting extended holiday weekends," Tallahassee Democrat, November 17, 2025.
³ Frank Kopylov, "DeSantis adds extra holiday state office closures for Florida employees," Florida's Voice, November 17, 2025.
⁴ "2025 United States federal mass layoffs," Wikipedia, accessed November 18, 2025.
⁵ Suzanne Blake, "Over 100,000 Florida Workers Get 3 Extra Days Off This Year," Newsweek, December 11, 2024.
⁶ "Federal Government Layoffs Tracker 2025: Latest DOGE Cuts So Far," Newsweek, March 14, 2025.
