Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno and Gov. Ron DeSantis hold a symbolic check at the Sheriff's Office in Fort Myers Wednesday. The state will provide a $1,000 pandemic bonus to all first responders. Photo provided

Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to Satellite Beach, Temple Terrace and Fort Myers to announce $1,000 one-time bonuses for approximately 174,000 first responders, including law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters across the state.

“Supporting our law enforcement and first responders has been a top priority for my administration, and it has never been more important than over the last year. As a state, we are grateful for their continued service to our communities,” DeSantis said. “This one-time bonus is a small token of appreciation, but we can never go far enough to express our gratitude for their selflessness.”

The authorization comes following the DeSantis’ call for the bonuses in March, with the bonuses included in the 2021-22 state budget. While the budget is not yet signed, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is working to immediately implement this bonus program, expediting the distribution effort, a release from the Governor’s Office states. Approximately $208 million has been allocated from DEO for over 174,000 first responders across the state, including 49,405 sworn law enforcement officers, 40,732 EMTs, 35,811 firefighters and 33,185 paramedics in Florida.