Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks in Orlando at Florida Highway Patrol office

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke from a Florida Highway Patrol office in Orlando on Monday afternoon. 

DeSantis spoke on his support for law enforcement through proposed sweeping increases in state law enforcement pay, bonuses and other changes to get more officers to relocate to Florida.

The governor started the press conference by saying that the state of Florida will continue to support law enforcement, calling the push to defund law enforcement "one of the most destructive movements."

DeSantis was joined by FHP Chief Mark Brown, FHP troopers and other state law enforcement officers. 

The governor said he will introduce a proposal which would allocate $75 million to increase minimum pay for entry-level sworn state law enforcement officers, while also increasing veteran officer salaries by 25%.

DeSantis also proposed more than $100 million to increase pay for correctional officers and Dep. of Juvenile Justice Officers as well as $1.4 million to increase state Special Risk Firefighters salaries.

The governor went on to discuss how the national media handled the tragic incident in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Police said Darrell Brooks Jr., 39, was behind the wheel of the SUV that sped through the parade route, killing five and injuring 48 others.

He stated that the perpetrator clearly had animus toward white people and the crash was "an intentional act." DeSantis stated that the suspect was likely fueled by the media's "false narratives" surrounding Kyle Rittenhouse.

The governor concluded the press conference with a short discussion on the new COVID-19 variant. He said that travel restrictions will not work against the new variant and promised Florida will "not be shut down."