DeSantis spending $3.6m of Florida taxpayers' money for checks his Logo to go to cops and teachers

DeSantis spending $3.6m of Florida taxpayers' money for checks his Logo to go to cops and teachers
Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, speaks with members of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., leadership during the governor's first visit to the base since becoming governor, Jan. 16, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Solomon Cook)
Frontpage news and politics

Ron DeSantis is spending $3.6 million to send $1000 paper checks emblazoned with the logo of the Florida Governor through the mail to the state's police officers and first responders, and teachers and principals, rather than use the direct deposit payroll systems currently in place. The $1000 checks are being called "bonuses" but the funds actually come from President Joe Biden's federal stimulus program.

The checks will not have the logo of the President of the United States or the Democratic Party. No Republican Senator or Congressman voted to pass the bill that funded the $1000 checks.

Some in Florida are blasting the Republican governor, a major Trump supporter and likely 2024 presidential candidate.

To make matters worse, The U.S. Dept. of Education notified Florida its program violates the federal agency's rules, but the State of Florida said it disagrees.

"Instead of sending the money directly to local governments to disburse to their employees, as the state has done with previous teacher bonuses, the state is paying Fidelity to do the work," the Miami Herald reports, citing the $3.6 million fee on top of the actual money to fund the $1000 disbursements. "That has prompted accusations from some lawmakers and teachers union officials that DeSantis is using the bonuses to score political points."

"They could have just sent the money to school districts at no cost to taxpayers," Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, told the Herald. "It sounds like the governor's wasting money."

The move is similar to one the former president, Donald Trump, made with federal stimulus funds, "suggesting" his name be printed on federal COVID stimulus checks. The "suggestion" was granted by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access , or click here to become a subscriber . Thank you.

Click to donate by check .

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2024 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.