First responders who led the search efforts after the Surfside condo collapse were among the first in the state to receive their $1,000 bonuses.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis handed out the checks at a news conference in Surfside Tuesday morning.
DeSantis had proposed the bonuses for all of Florida's firefighters, police officers and EMTs in part to honor the work they've done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But he said the response to the June 24 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building made the bonuses even more important.
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"I was here everyday for those first couple weeks, I know how hard people worked," DeSantis said Tuesday.
A similar program is providing $1,000 bonuses to Florida's public school teachers and principals.
