JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the second year in a row, first responders in Florida on Monday started receiving $1,000 bonuses checks from the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis presented a handful of checks during a news conference in Jacksonville and said nearly 100,000 first responders in the Sunshine State will get a bonus checkover the coming weeks "for a job well done."
"In all ways it's a tough job, but particularly since COVID, needing to flex and put yourselves out there," DeSantis said.
WATCH: Florida's governor speaks about first responder bonus checks
Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature allotted $100 million from the state's new budget to give every sworn law enforcement officer, firefighter, paramedic, and emergency medical technician in Florida a $1,000 bonus.
DeSantis on Monday said any first responder employed by any level of local government as of May 1 is eligible for the bonuses.