The state of Florida has given more than 100,000 employees extra days off for the holidays.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that all state workers will get three additional days off this holiday season.
“In addition to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, our state workers will receive three additional days off – December 23, 24 and 31 – to spend more time with their families and loved ones during the holidays,” Desantis wrote on X.
The governor said he decided to give the early gift to Florida residents because the state is “in great shape” and he wants to “reward our state employees.”
“After a full year, including three costly hurricanes, we hope these additional days off will allow state workers to spend more time with their families and loved ones this holiday season,” he continued, referring to Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton that hit the destroyed the country. through the Sunshine State.
State employees were given early time off last month on the day before Thanksgiving, said Dan Borrow of the Florida Department of Management Services Fox News digital.
According to the department’s website, Florida will offer nine “perceived as paid vacation days by government agencies” in 2024.
Those days include New Year’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has given state workers three extra days off during the holidays this year
The governor said he decided to give the early gift to Florida residents because the state is “in great shape” and wants to “reward our state employees.” (Image: stock photo)
Many people from Florida and out of state expressed gratitude to DeSantis for his decision.
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, characterized the governor’s move as a “welcome” change.
“The gesture of adding additional paid holidays to the calendar is always welcome, and Governor DeSantis’ decision to do so is certainly in line with previous decisions by governors of other states,” he said. Newsweek.
Beene added that “holiday extensions like this typically occur when the state budget allows.”
He also noted that Florida’s “revenues are strong” because many employees have worked overtime over the past year due to the natural disasters.
Others on social media also expressed how happy they were that DeSantis granted additional days off.
‘Family time is important… we need to support the togetherness of mother, father and children. Make the family unit important in our society,” one user wrote on X.
Another said: ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your lovely family, Ron. We appreciate you!’
According to the department’s website, Florida offers nine “perceived as paid vacation days by government agencies” for 2024. (Image: State Supreme Court building in Tallahassee)
“I wish you were my governor,” said another jokingly.
While many are happy with the decision, others wondered why DeSantis chose to gift state employees this holiday season.
Bryan Driscoll, an HR consultant, told Newsweek that the governor’s announcement is a “cheap political stunt.”
‘He has been trying to put anti-worker policies on paper for years with a feel-good headline. It is the equivalent of throwing crumbs at workers while gutting unions and taking away job protections,” Driscoll said, adding that while the decision gives state workers time off, it does not address the other issues impacting Florida.
“This move does nothing to address the real issues facing Florida workers, such as the lack of paid family leave or protections for low-wage workers,” he continued.
“It reflects a government more interested in optics than substance, prioritizing political games over real, lasting change for the workforce.”
Online users seemed to agree with Driscoll, as one said, “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT FLORIDIANS HOMEOWNER INSURANCE?”
While many people were happy with DeSantis’ decision to give extra days to state employees, others were angry that he did so but has not yet addressed other issues facing the state
Someone else wrote: ‘I’m 68 years old. Why do I still have to pay property taxes in Florida? There must be other ways to generate revenue. I am glad there is no waste in government.”
“So state services will not be available,” another noted.
As he ran for the Republican nomination for president, DeSantis highlighted how he oversaw the state’s small workforce despite it being one of the most populous states in the US.
“Florida State Government [has the] lowest number of state employees per capita in the country,” he told CNN in January.
While Florida had only 82 state employees per 100,000 residents in 2022, the national average was 198 state employees per 10,000 residents, according to Newsweek.