Ron DeSantis to offer $5,000 upfront to out of state officers fired for Covid mandates

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday he hopes to woo out-of-state police officers who oppose their states’ vaccine mandates with $5,000 bonuses, part of his broader attack on vaccine requirements, and positioning of himself as an emerging figure in national Republican politics.

Florida is “actively working to recruit out-of-state law enforcement,” DeSantis said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, claiming Covid-19 vaccine mandates are “unconstitutional.”

The governor said he is “going to hopefully sign” legislation that would give each police officer a $5,000 bonus if they relocate.

DeSantis said that bill would be introduced during an upcoming special session of the Florida legislature, which the governor called earlier this week in order to pass legislation that would ban private employers from imposing vaccine mandates.

CRUCIAL QUOTE “NYPD, Minneapolis, Seattle: If you’re not being treated well, we’ll treat you better here, you can fill important needs for us, and we’ll compensate you as a result,” DeSantis said Sunday. WHAT TO WATCH FOR DeSantis said when announcing the special session he hoped it would take place in November, but Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said in a memo to lawmakers after DeSantis’ announcement the governor has not yet proposed any specific dates. KEY BACKGROUND More than 20 states have implemented Covid-19 vaccine mandates for government workers like police officers, according to NPR, along with a number of major municipalities like Chicago. A number of police unions nationwide have strongly opposed the mandates—and some have filed lawsuits in an attempt to block them—with more than 4,500 police officers in Chicago refusing the mandate and Massachusetts’ police union reporting at least 150 officers have resigned. The mass opposition to the mandates has sparked fears existing staffing shortages will become even worse as a result. DeSantis’ plan to reward out-of-state officers and ban employer mandates comes after Florida has already enacted a “vaccine passport” ban that bars private businesses, educational institutions and local governments from demanding proof of Covid-19 vaccination from customers or government employees. Violating that law carries a fine of $5,000 per infractions and the state is investigating more than 100 potential offenders, already fining Leon County $3.57 million over its employee vaccine mandate.

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