Gray Rohrer
Neither wind, nor rain nor a Category 5 hurricane can stop $1,000 bonus checks getting to first responders on Southwest Florida’s barrier islands, some of whom had flooding above their mailboxes when Hurricane Ian struck three weeks ago.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration started sending out the bonus checks about 100,000 police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel across the state last month. But about 400 checks headed for first responders in Southwest Florida were still in transit when Ian came ashore.
He visited Sanibel Island by boat — the island is still closed to civilian traffic — to hand out the checks in person.
“We didn’t want these checks to get lost in the shuffle,” DeSantis said Tuesday.
The bonuses were included in the state budget for the second year running, paid for with federal COVID-19 stimulus funds that DeSantis has criticized Democrats in Congress for approving.
“Some got lost in the mail, obviously FedEx couldn’t get on the islands,” said Dane Eagle, Secretary of the Department of Economic Opportunity, the agency administering the program. “So we’re going to be the FedEx today to get the checks on the islands.”
The $1,000 bonuses are for every first responder in the state and are a separate program from the $5,000 checks DeSantis handed out last week in Southwest Florida to new police officers.
“Many of our team members pushed aside the devastation of their own homes to ensure that we recovered and we were taking care of our community,” said Sanibel Fire Rescue Chief Kevin Barbot.
Traffic for emergency and power restoration crews was restored to Sanibel last week after temporary patches to the causeway connecting it to the mainland were completed. The bridge had been severed in three places by Ian. DeSantis previously said civilian traffic could resume on the bridge by Oct. 24, but hinted Tuesday that it could be earlier.
“I hope to be back very, very soon,” he said.
10 comments
Joe Corsin
October 18, 2022 at 12:15 pm
Yeah buy some more votes!!! Just go ahead and tell people they’ll get checks if they vote for you. Such is the nature of the neo nazi GQP… chicanery grifters. Shovel money to the rich and buy everyone else off.
Impeach Biden
October 18, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Contrary to the Democrats defund the police movement. The Republican Party and our soon to be re-elected Governor do support the police. Watch what happens November 8.🤣
Yrral
October 18, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Somebody should file a federal whistleblower complaint,and see is this legal,and may received some of the money recovered Google Federal Fraud Whistleblower Recovery
Impeach Biden
October 18, 2022 at 2:25 pm
Maybe you should google that or look it up on Facebook.😜
Andrew Gillum’s Crack Dealer
October 18, 2022 at 12:50 pm
SOCIALISM
Tom
October 18, 2022 at 1:29 pm
Ignoramuses x 2, Ural mountain plus Joey. Are you mentally lacking? Joey no excuse for you with your baseless lie and insults.
The legislature of Florida approved the appropriations of these funds, for this purpose.
Shut the hell up, you both are mentally incapable. Shameful!
Tom
October 18, 2022 at 1:29 pm
Ignoramuses x 2, Ural mountain plus Joey. Are you mentally lacking? Joey no excuse for you with your baseless lie and insults.
The legislature of Florida approved the appropriations of these funds, for this purpose.
Shut the hell up, you both are mentally incapable. Shameful!
Tom
October 18, 2022 at 1:29 pm
Ignoramuses x 2, Ural mountain plus Joey. Are you mentally lacking? Joey no excuse for you with your baseless lie and insults.
The legislature of Florida approved the appropriations of these funds, for this purpose.
Shut the hell up, you both are mentally incapable. Shameful!
Anne
October 18, 2022 at 9:16 pm
BEST GOVERNOR EVER!!!!
marylou
October 19, 2022 at 11:59 am
After the Nikolas Cruz trial, does Desantis still think it’s a great idea to force women to have unwanted children?
Comments are closed.