While Democrat politicians continue their war on law enforcement, one Republican governor keeps proving what real leadership looks like.
His unwavering support for the men and women in blue just reached a milestone that shows exactly why America needs more leaders like him.
And Ron DeSantis hit a major milestone that proves he’s exactly what America needs.
Florida passes historic $63 million mark supporting law enforcement
Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Monday that Florida has now awarded over 9,400 recruitment bonuses to new law enforcement officers through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program.
The latest round of bonuses went to officers serving Florida Panhandle counties, with an additional 734 bonuses being distributed to recruits across the state.
Each officer receives a one-time $5,000 bonus after taxes as appreciation for choosing to serve in Florida.
"Today in Panama City, we welcomed new law enforcement recruits from Bay, Franklin, Gulf, and Walton counties and awarded them $5,000 recruitment bonuses," DeSantis said. "Many new officers across the state moved to Florida from soft-on-crime jurisdictions, where prosecutors allow crime to run rampant and local politicians denigrate law enforcement. Here in Florida, law enforcement officers are supported and appreciated—and criminals are held accountable!"
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1975608426450317431
The program has now distributed more than $63 million to law enforcement officers since launching in 2022.
DeSantis created this groundbreaking program to show law enforcement officers they’re valued and supported in Florida.
The results speak for themselves – more than 1,900 officers from 49 states and two territories have packed up and moved to Florida because they know they’ll be treated with respect.
Over 600 of these officers came from anti-police states like California, Illinois, and New York – places where radical Democrat politicians have made it clear they hate law enforcement.
Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford praised DeSantis for standing "shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement" during the challenging times when radical leftists made it "fashionable" to "criticize or defund the police."
"He restored pride to our profession," Ford said, noting that over 40 Bay County deputies have received the recruitment bonus.
DeSantis shows what backing the blue really means
The recruitment bonuses are just one part of DeSantis’s broader initiative to make Florida the most law-and-order state in the nation.
Under the current budget, DeSantis secured $49 million in pay increases for more than 16,200 state sworn law enforcement officers.
The governor raised the minimum base pay to $60,000 and provided significant raises for both entry-level and veteran officers.
Florida has also expanded wellness resources for officers, enhanced penalties for crimes against law enforcement, introduced law enforcement education programs in high schools, and launched the Florida Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program to cover training costs for new recruits.
"After today’s awards, we will have awarded over 9,400 bonuses throughout this program, that’s $5,000 smackers a pop," DeSantis said at the Panama City press conference. "Throughout the state of Florida, we’ve had about 2,000 recruits of that 9,400 come from other jurisdictions outside of the state of Florida."
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1975581413723537458
The governor emphasized that officers transferring from other states often report much better morale in Florida, where there is widespread community support for law enforcement.
DeSantis linked his pro-police policies directly to Florida’s crime rate, which he said is now at a 50-year low.
He stressed the importance of having "strong policies at the state level" to prevent the "jailbreak policies" like "no cash bail" that have destroyed public safety in Democrat-controlled areas.
Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison thanked DeSantis for making sure law enforcement knows he will "have our back," which Harrison said is especially important for fiscally constrained rural counties that struggle to compete with larger departments.
"That has brought in so much for us to be able to stay on a competitive field with the larger counties and be able to pay a larger salary to our deputies," Harrison explained.
Here’s what real leadership looks like
Look at what DeSantis has accomplished while Democrat politicians across the country spent the last few years attacking police officers and letting criminals run wild in the streets.
While cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York became crime-infested hellscapes thanks to radical leftist policies, Florida became a beacon for law enforcement professionals who actually want to do their jobs.
The numbers don’t lie – Florida’s crime rate is at a 50-year low while these Democrat cities are experiencing massive crime waves.
That’s what happens when you support law enforcement instead of demonizing them.
But here’s what makes DeSantis’s approach so brilliant: he’s not just throwing money at the problem and walking away.
The governor has created a comprehensive system that includes better pay, enhanced benefits, expanded wellness resources, stronger penalties for crimes against officers, and educational programs to build the next generation of law enforcement professionals.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1975662649297010713
It’s a complete strategy that treats law enforcement as the heroes they are instead of the villains Democrats make them out to be.
And the results speak for themselves – officers are literally fleeing anti-police states to come work in Florida where they know they’ll be supported instead of attacked.
This is exactly the kind of leadership America needs at every level of government.
While Democrat politicians bow to radical activists who want to defund the police, DeSantis shows what it looks like to actually stand up for law and order.
The 9,400 officers who have received these bonuses represent families whose lives have been changed for the better because one governor decided to do the right thing instead of what’s politically popular with the radical Left.
That’s the difference between real leadership and the cowardice we see from most politicians today.
¹ Office of Governor Ron DeSantis, "GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS AWARDS BONUSES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT RECRUITS, REACHING MORE THAN 9,400 TOTAL," October 7, 2025.
² Michelle Vecerina, "Florida passes $63M milestone in police recruitment bonus program," Florida News, October 7, 2025.
³ Nathan Cobb, "Gov. DeSantis visits Bay to discuss $5,000 sign on, transfer bonuses for law enforcement," Panama City News Herald, October 7, 2025.
⁴ A.G. Gancarski, "’5,000 smackers a pop’: Governor delivers law enforcement bonuses in Bay County," October 7, 2025.
⁵ Maggy McGuigan, "Gov. DeSantis awards bonuses to new law enforcement officers to boost recruitment," WMBB, October 7, 2025.
