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DeSantis says 7,800 officers have taken state recruitment bonuses | Florida

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-02 12:33:00

(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that 7,800 law enforcement officers have taken advantage of the state’s recruitment bonus program since its launch in 2022.

The two-term Republican governor made the remarks at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Ocala in central Florida, where the latest round of bonuses were disbursed. According to state officials, 660 bonuses have been provided to law enforcement recruits statewide. 

“The recruitment bonuses that my deputies will receive aren’t just a check, but a statement,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at the news conference. “It tells the men and women in uniform that their choice to serve and protect matters. That commitment and sacrifice are seen and valued by the highest leadership in this state.”

Woods also said he’s sent a recruiter to New York to hire new deputies with the bonuses providing a powerful incentive. 

“I had him plant a flag right there, on their front door steps and said ‘hire them as they walk out the door,'” Woods said. 

The $53 million program provides a one-time, $5,000 bonus after taxes to newly employed officers that choose to practice law enforcement in Florida. According to state officials, 1,700 officers from 49 states and two territories have relocated to the Sunshine State. Five hundred of them have come from California, Illinois and New York, states that DeSantis said are “anti-police.”

“We’re a law and order state, we’re going to support law enforcement people that wear the uniform,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to make sure our laws are enforced and we’re never going to let the inmates run the asylum in the state.

“But you have the backdrop for a number of years recently where other states and cities around the country were doing the opposite, they were blaming law enforcement, treating them poorly with lax laws that benefited repeat offenders. you saw their cities decay as a result of this. Prosecutors wouldn’t prosecute crimes and that’s created a situation that’s intolerable to a lot of people.”

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News from the South - Florida News Feed

Dad dies trying to save daughter from drowning off Fort Lauderdale beach, officials say

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www.youtube.com – CBS Miami – 2025-06-16 16:52:25

SUMMARY: A man visiting Fort Lauderdale with his family died trying to save his daughter from drowning on Father’s Day. The incident occurred just after 7 p.m. near a beachfront hotel. Another man, who saw the girl struggling in the water, jumped in to help. He was able to reach her and assist her toward shore, nearly drowning himself in the process. Tragically, the girl’s father, identified as Antwan Wilson, did not survive. The rescuer, now out of the hospital, said he would risk his life again without hesitation. Police are treating the incident as an accidental drowning.

A Lauderhill father who tried to save his daughters from drowning Sunday night near a Fort Lauderdale hotel has died, officials said.

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How else could Iran retaliate over the ongoing Israeli strikes targeting the country?

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www.clickorlando.com – Jon Gambrell, Associated Press – 2025-06-17 04:22:00

SUMMARY: As Israel conducts airstrikes on Iran’s military and nuclear sites, Tehran proposes retaliatory options beyond missile attacks, echoing past strategies. These include disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—a critical global oil route—potentially causing energy market shocks. Iran could also withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, abandoning IAEA oversight and escalating nuclear efforts, risking U.S. intervention. Additionally, Iran might increase asymmetric attacks via allied militant groups targeting Israeli interests, although these proxies have weakened recently. These responses carry significant risks, potentially destabilizing the Middle East and global markets, while Iran seeks to avoid direct conflict with the U.S.

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Florida children sentenced to prison as adults, now advocating against using solitary confinement

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www.youtube.com – ABC Action News – 2025-06-16 22:00:49

SUMMARY: In Florida, children as young as 12 have been sentenced to adult prison, where many endure solitary confinement, causing severe mental trauma. Ian Manual, sentenced at 13 and later released after a Supreme Court ruling, now advocates against such treatment, sharing his painful experience of isolation. The Florida Department of Corrections calls solitary confinement “close management,” claiming it’s used only for safety concerns, but advocacy groups argue it constitutes child abuse as juveniles’ brains are still developing. Survivors like Catherine Jones, sentenced at 13 and confined for 16 years, emphasize the system’s failures and abuse endured. Efforts to ban youth solitary confinement continue amid ongoing investigations.

Ian Manuel, sentenced to life in prison in 1991 for attempted murder in a downtown Tampa botched robbery at 14 years old, is now sharing his story as an adult.

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