DeSantis offers $5,000 bonus to unvaccinated cops to relocate to Florida

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Gov. Ron DeSantis is offering bonuses to unvaccinated cops in other states to work in Florida.
• The Republican governor’s proposed offer comes amid job losses over COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
• DeSantis vehemently opposes mask and vaccine mandates despite a COVID death toll in Florida of 58,000 people.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that he is considering to enact legislation that will provide a $5,000 bonus to police officers to relocate to Florida, where they can avoid vaccine mandates. 

DeSantis told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that Florida is “actively working” to recruit law enforcement officers from other states who are being fired for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We’re actually actively working to recruit out-of-state law enforcement, because we do have needs in our police and our sheriff’s departments. So, in the next legislative session, I’m going to hopefully sign legislation that gives a $5,000 bonus to any out-of-state law enforcement that relocates in Florida,” DeSantis said.

“So, NYPD, Minneapolis, Seattle, if you’re not being treated well, we will treat you better here. You can fill important needs for us, and we will compensate you as a result,” he added.

The governor’s comments come amid his escalating conflict with the Biden administration over its impending vaccine mandate, which will require businesses with 100 or more workers to require vaccines or weekly testing.

DeSantis announced last week that he is calling a special session of the state legislature in an effort to fight the vaccine requirements.

The governor on Sunday said Biden’s mandate is “unconstitutional,” adding that it will “wreak havoc in the economy” because of the potential for employees to leave or lose their jobs.

“And so, in Florida, our policy is very clear. We’re going to have a special session, and we’re going to say, nobody should lose their job based off these injections. It’s a choice you can make. But we want to make sure we’re protecting your jobs and your livelihoods,” DeSantis said.

The governor also claimed that most first responders previously had COVID-19 and recovered, “so they have strong protection.”

Reports have mounted in recent days of employees quitting their jobs or being fired for not complying with vaccine mandates.

Source: The Hill