TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three bills Monday aiming to strengthen “Law & Order” in the Sunshine State.

The governor, who was joined by Attorney General Ashley Moody and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, said his administration would reject “soft on crime policies” seen in other states.

“What we’ve done in Florida is rejected the ‘soft on crime policies.’ The legislature passed a bill that I signed that prevents the local government from defunding the police,” DeSantis said. “We will not allow that to happen. We will make sure the police are on the street.”

The governor pointed to a 2022 initiative that awarded all Florida law enforcement officers a $1,000 bonus after tax. He also noted a program that awarded new recruits who move to Florida a $5,000 signing bonus and teased “many more bonuses coming” to qualifying officers.

“Today we are going to sign a series of bills to keep the momentum going,” DeSantis said, introducing a state-wide uniform bond schedule.

“One of the worst things they’ve done in places like New York and Illinois is they’ve done things like eliminate cash bail,” DeSantis said. “What that means is you’ll have somebody commit a criminal offense, they’ll come in to face charges, and then they automatically get released back onto the street without having to post any type of a bond.”

The governor said those policies “victimize” Floridians, and put the lives of officers at risk.

“Of course, we’re not going to eliminate cash bonds in Florida,” DeSantis continued, adding the state legislature would instead task the Florida Supreme Court with establishing a uniform state-wide bond schedule by the end of 2023.

“One judge should not be able to simply say somebody gets to get out,” DeSantis said. “[This bill] should prevent some very pro-criminal judges from releasing people back onto the street who should not be released.”

DeSantis said New York’s policies left criminals with a “slap on the wrist.”

“We doing the opposite,” he said, saying his “anti-New York” policies would “protect people from the criminal element.”

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