LAKELAND, Fla. — It appears law enforcement officers from up north are leaving their posts to head somewhere that is ready to welcome them with open arms — Florida.
Take the Big Apple, for example. The New York Post reports more than a dozen New York City Police Department officers have relocated to the City of Lakeland.
“Many New York City cops are weighing our sub-standard salary against the ever-increasing challenges, scrutiny and abuse, and they’re voting with their feet,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch told the outlet.
Florida law enforcement agencies are using those feelings to their advantage, advertising jobs to people in the New York area.
The Highlands County Sheriff's Office ran a social media ad campaign encouraging police to relocate to Florida, according to reporter Jay O'Brien at CBS affiliate WPEC. A screengrab of the sponsored ad suggests officers from New York will receive a $5,000 signing bonus and $4,000 relocation reimbursement if they complete a "lateral transfer."
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During a September press conference, former NYPD officer of two years, Matt Spoto said he first heard about the Lakeland Police Department on Facebook before stopping by a recruiting event the agency held in Times Square.
"It was an eye-opener. He said that you could park your police vehicles in front of your house and, to me, I thought that was mind-blowing. I used to have to lie about what I used to do. I used to have to tell people that I was like a bartender cause I was -- it was almost like I was ashamed to be a law enforcement officer," Spoto said.
The starting salary for an NYPD officer stands at $42,500, according to city data. That compares to the $52,842 first-year officers get in Lakeland, according to the Ledger.
The "strides" Gov. Ron DeSantis has been making for law enforcement, Spoto says, also contributed to his southern migration.
Earlier this year, DeSantis revealed one of his hopes is to sign a law awarding a state-level $5,000 bonus to any out-of-state police officers who relocate to Florida.
"We're looking to capitalize off a lot of communities across our country who have turned their back on law enforcement, who aren't providing them the support. Where there's all kinds of different problems with just being able to do the job," DeSantis told reporters at the time.
The bonus still needs to get the green light from state lawmakers.
First responders in the state of Florida also received a $1,000 bonus in 2021 as a thank you for their perseverance and hard work during the pandemic.