- 6/5/2025
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed legislation to improve support and conditions for Florida firefighters.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Well, good morning, brothers and sisters.
00:21It's my honor today to introduce someone who knows what it means to lead under pressure
00:26and who understands that when firefighters speak with one voice, it's worth listening.
00:32Our guest today is no stranger to the fire service or to the issues that matter to our members.
00:37From our cancer coverage legislation, protecting pensions and benefits,
00:41to strengthening mental health resources and ensuring that firefighters have the tools and support they need to do their job safely.
00:48He's been there when we need him time and time again, and now he's here again today.
00:53Please join me in welcoming the 47th governor of the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis.
00:59Governor, welcome to the Florida Professional Firefighters 81st Convention.
01:12Great to be with you guys.
01:14Thanks so much.
01:15I hope you're enjoying beautiful Palm Beach Gardens at this great venue here.
01:20I know you guys have been working hard, but hopefully you've had some time to also have some fun.
01:26I just want to say, as governor, on behalf of the people of the state of Florida,
01:30we appreciate your service to your communities.
01:34We appreciate your service to the state.
01:36We recognize the fact that you have a duty that you discharge to run into the danger,
01:43to protect others, to save family members, friends, pets, whatever may be in harm's way.
01:52And that's a noble calling, and that's very meaningful for the communities that you serve.
01:57So thank you for what you do, and keep up the great work.
02:01Now, we have worked hard over these many years to recognize that.
02:06You know, you'll have these people, these elected officials, you know, they'll go to these things,
02:11and, like, they'll, whatever their audience is, you know, they'll try to tell them what they want to hear.
02:16Then they'll go to the next, tell them what they want to hear.
02:18And they don't ever actually do anything, right?
02:20And so we believe that while words can be meaningful, ultimately, deeds are the most powerful.
02:28And we have not just said that we were supportive of first responders.
02:31We have shown, through our actions, that we've been supportive of first responders.
02:37Now, Bernie mentioned the 2019 legislation I signed on the cancer bill.
02:44That was really landmark legislation for this state.
02:47I know you guys have been working on it for a long time.
02:49It's something that needed to be done, and the benefits have been very, very significant,
02:55and we're seeing people that are being helped.
03:03You know, during COVID, we also recognized, when that rolled around,
03:07that our first responders were basically seeing their duties increase.
03:13You're being called upon to do all these things that are not necessarily a normal course of business.
03:18And so the federal government, they did these, like, massive spending bills,
03:23honestly, massive debt to our country, which in hindsight, but nevertheless, they sent this.
03:28And it's like, you know, in Florida, we were open, right?
03:31I mean, our economy was doing well.
03:33We didn't necessarily need.
03:35But if you sent it back to them, then at the time Biden, he would just send it to other states.
03:41And so I'm like, well, I'm not going to do that.
03:43I mean, our taxpayers have contributed to this.
03:45So we utilized those resources for three years in a row.
03:50We did $1,000 bonuses for every single first responder in the state of Florida.
03:55Law enforcement, firefighter, EMT.
04:02And that's $1,000 after taxes because, you know, you get it and you have to pay tax.
04:08So whatever the check was, was for more than that to cover the taxes.
04:11And so $1,000.
04:12And over those three years, prices of goods were going up a lot more than that.
04:17And we recognized that, but we wanted to be able to show our token of appreciation.
04:21The other thing we did, you know, during COVID that really impacted first responders is, you know,
04:27you had this movement, some cities, some counties, eventually the federal government,
04:34where they wanted to force folks to take the mRNA COVID jab.
04:40And I had a lot of firefighters come up to me saying that they didn't want to do it,
04:44but they feared losing their job if they didn't do it.
04:47And a lot of these people had been on the front lines of COVID from the beginning.
04:50A lot of them had had COVID and had natural immunity, which, you know,
04:55they used to recognize that as something that was part of immunology until COVID kind of fried
05:02all the medical profession's brains for a few years.
05:04Now I think we kind of do recognize natural immunity again.
05:07I don't know.
05:07I have to check on that.
05:09Maybe I'll call Dr. Fauci and ask him what he thinks.
05:12Probably wouldn't want to take my call and I don't blame him.
05:15But people weren't put in this position where you already had COVID.
05:21You're being told you have to take this or else you may not have a job anymore.
05:26So we called a special session of the Florida legislature and we passed legislation saying,
05:32and it wasn't just limited to first responders, but obviously we had a lot of outcry from that community.
05:37You shouldn't be forced to choose between a job you need and a shot you don't want.
05:43And so we put those protections into law.
05:46I just signed an extension of those protections that take place June 1st for another couple years.
05:52First of all, the legislature really needs to make this stuff permanent.
05:56You either believe that you have the choice or you don't, and we believe that and we want to continue to do it.
06:01But we were able to save a lot of jobs in the first responder community by doing that.
06:09And I'm proud that we stood up.
06:11And now everyone says, of course, that should be the policy.
06:14At the time, that was not the case.
06:16I mean, we were getting hit and hit very hard.
06:19But you know what?
06:19If you're not taking flack, you ain't over the target.
06:22So we've just got to know.
06:24Last month, we closed a major gap in state law to ensure that firefighters injured during official training are eligible for compensation.
06:36I mean, the reality is that's part of your duty as well.
06:39And those training exercises as just a military veteran, I can tell you, you know, those training exercises have risk.
06:46But it isn't like those are cost free.
06:48So we recognize that and we're glad that we were able to get that done.
06:52I've also proposed in the state budget, you know, normally there's a budget done by now.
07:01It's not done.
07:03Maybe it'll get done.
07:04We'll see.
07:05Hope springs eternal.
07:07But we proposed a 25% pay increase for our state firefighters.
07:12And part of that is just a recognition for our appreciation and a job well done.
07:17But part of it is just practical that, you know, folks have options.
07:22And if your paying is not keeping up, you know, you're going to lose some good people.
07:27So we felt strongly about that for not only the state firefighters but also state law enforcement like Highway Patrol.
07:34You know, they're doing a lot of great work for the state in addition to the traditional duties.
07:38I mean, they're really part of our tip of the spear for enforcing the laws on illegal immigration.
07:43You know, they're netting all these illegal aliens that basically were just released into our country over the past four years.
07:51And it's like this person's already been ordered to be deported.
07:55This person's been arrested.
07:56This is just and it's like, you know, that's not good for the state of Florida to just allow that.
08:00So those guys are doing something about it.
08:02And I appreciate that.
08:04So as it stands now, the House of Representatives is not including any pay increase for our state firefighters in their proposed budget.
08:14I do believe the Florida Senate is going to have a proposed pay increase.
08:20Maybe they don't pick up all 25 percent that I asked for.
08:23Although, let's just be clear, the state of Florida is flush with resources right now.
08:29Since I've been governor, you take the 180-year history of the state and look at all the debt Florida's accumulated, we've retired 41 percent of it just in my tenure as governor.
08:41We've run budget surpluses that are the biggest in the history of the state of Florida.
08:46And yet, we've been able to cut taxes in a major way.
08:50We've been able to support law enforcement, support our first responders.
08:54We've been able to support things like environmental restoration.
08:58We've been able to support more roads and upgraded highways, education, all these different things.
09:04So we're showing that this can be done and done in a really, really good way.
09:09And there's people in other states that could take a lesson from that.
09:13Heck, you even look in Washington with the Congress and kind of how they spend money.
09:17So we've done it very, very well, but this is budget dust to be able to provide pay increase for our state firefighters.
09:25So there's no reason that it can't be done.
09:28Now, we do have two of our reps, Alvarez and Booth, here today, and they're going to talk about this bill that I'm going to sign.
09:34And just for the record, both of them support the pay increases.
09:37And so hopefully, word trickles up to the powers that be.
09:47So the bill that I'm going to sign momentarily, so we'll see what happens with the budget.
09:52But the bill that I'm going to sign momentarily strengthens Florida's commitment to the health and safety of our firefighters.
10:00We, of course, ask our firefighters to face danger at a moment's notice.
10:04You've got to run into the fire.
10:07You have to respond to emergencies.
10:10And you obviously are exposed to a lot of really significant trauma.
10:14That takes a toll, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
10:19This bill ensures we recognize and respond to those realities.
10:24It updates the Florida Firefighters Occupational Safety and Health Act to reflect the full scope of harm that firefighters face, including occupational diseases and mental health ramifications.
10:40This is something that I know people have been working on for a long time.
10:45It will create work schedules that limit regular shifts to 42 hours per week to reduce burnout and fatigue.
10:53And importantly, it means adding suicide prevention to our safety protocols, treating it with the seriousness it deserves, and taking real steps to prevent those tragedies.
11:03So, with HB 929, we're providing our firefighters with the additional tools, support, and protection that they deserve.
11:12So, job well done on that.
11:14I'm going to sign it momentarily, but before I do that, I'll bring up the reps to say a few words.
11:19So, if you guys want to come up and speak, and then we'll make it official.
11:46Most importantly, thank you for everyone for standing with us this session.
11:50Your courage, dedication, and sacrifice are the backbone to public safety in Florida.
11:54And today, we're proud to stand beside you with meaningful action that honors the work that you do.
11:59I want to begin by thanking Governor Ron DeSantis for signing this bill into law and continuing to support Florida's first responders.
12:08His leadership ensures that when we say, we've got your back, it's backed up by action.
12:14And a sincere thank you also goes to Speaker Perez and Senate President Albritton for prioritizing this bill during this legislative session.
12:21Their commitment to hearing this bill, moving it forward, made the difference, too.
12:25And their support sends a clear message that the state of Florida stands with its fire service community.
12:31And I'd like to thank all of the colleagues in the Florida legislature for their dedication and support in passing this important piece of legislation.
12:40To every firefighter across the state of Florida, thank you for your service.
12:44Thank you for your strength and for your sacrifice.
12:47This law is a step forward, but our commitment to you doesn't end here.
12:52Thank you and God bless.
12:55You know, the governor said it and he said it absolutely correctly.
13:07There's a lot of people that give incredible lip service once they get elected to cops and firefighters because they think that's how they're going to get votes.
13:15But when you press those people to find out what they're really made of, they're soft and they collapse.
13:20Do you know why?
13:22Because everyone loves cops until it's time to pay for them.
13:26Everyone loves firefighters until it's time to fund them.
13:29This bill proves to you that that's not true.
13:33At least not with the people that are standing here.
13:36That's why I'm so, so proud to be standing here with the governor and Erica who both worked extremely hard along with our partners in the Senate to get it done.
13:44One, lip service is not enough when our brothers and sisters are dying at their own hands.
13:51Think about what I'm saying to you.
13:53Every man and woman in here literally said, send me.
13:56Every man and woman in here literally volunteered to go into what people fear the most.
14:02And you're going to look at me and tell me those are the people that are going to take their own lives.
14:06I tell you that's not right.
14:08And that's not true.
14:09And we're finally figuring out what it is and how we're getting there.
14:13Right?
14:13So everyone, everyone's, oh, I want to save my brother.
14:16And then when we ask them to help us save our brothers and sisters, they tell me we can't afford it.
14:23They tell me, maybe next year, Danny, that's not worth the fight.
14:27And I will tell you that is unacceptable.
14:30This bill, I want you to understand how many times it almost died.
14:33It got fought every step of the way.
14:38I literally fought every step of the way.
14:41This woman fought every step of the way.
14:43And your union fought every step of the way.
14:47So how about a big round of applause for these people?
14:52Yeah, stand up.
15:01I'll tell you something.
15:03I'll tell you something.
15:05It is our goal, my goal, our goal, until the day I am no longer an elected official, to make sure that cops and firefighters are seen and respected just like a veteran.
15:19I call you the daily deployed.
15:22You would say, hey, thank you, Danny, for your service.
15:24You're awesome.
15:25I appreciate you.
15:26We went, we did our job, and we came home, and we are members of society.
15:30You deploy daily.
15:32You are the 1% of our warrior society.
15:35And a society that is good honors them.
15:38A society that is great that's great elevates them to the position they deserve.
15:43I want you to understand, you're not asking for anything that you don't deserve.
15:48And it is about time that we recognize it.
15:51With this bill, we're finally one step further to it.
15:54I love you guys.
15:55Thank you, Governor, for doing this.
15:56I appreciate you guys so much.
15:57Today is the 5th of June.
16:14I believe so, Governor.
16:16Okay.
16:175th of June.
16:18Okay.
16:27Anyone in the peanut gallery?
16:49Throw one over to Meredith.
16:51Throw one over to Meredith.
16:55All right.
16:56Yeah!
16:57Good work, guys.
17:24Thank you so much.
17:26All right.
17:27So, Keith, we're happy to sign the bill.
17:32I know it's going to make a difference.
17:33I thank the reps for their hard work on it.
17:36And just, you know, let us know as there's more things that come down the pike.
17:41You know, our door is always open.
17:42And we truly appreciate what you guys do for us in our community.
17:47So, thank you.
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