Florida Republicans may increase the salary for the role of governor by $110,000.
As per a proposal approved in the Florida House of Representatives on Thursday, the annual salary of the governor will nearly double, increasing it to "at least 100 percent" of what a member of the Florida Supreme Court makes ( or $251,414).
The governor earns $141,400 annually, as per Ron DeSantis' filing before the Florida Commission on Ethics in June 2023. Governor DeSantis announced his withdrawal from the Republican presidential primary for 2024 on January 21.
Newsweek contacted the Florida GOP by phone outside of office hours to comment on this story.
The proposal all Republicans voted in favor of and all Democrats opposed would take effect in the fiscal year 2027, meaning Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently serving a second term, will not benefit from the increased salary.
GOP House Appropriations Chair Tom Leek said the measure was appropriate to raise the salary that the state pays its governors because 1,900 state employees make more than the governor does. "Florida is the lowest paid governor of many of the top 10 states," he said, according to Florida Phoenix.
But Florida Democrat Angela Nixon called the bill a "slap in the face" to Floridians, as per Politico reporter Gary Fineout. She said DeSantis had already "proved that being governor is a part-time job" when he ran for president.
Randall Holcombe, professor of economics at Florida State University, told Newsweek: "As a citizen, my thought is that it is not unreasonable for the governor to receive a salary equal to that of Supreme Court justices. As an economist, I'll observe that there appear to be plenty of qualified candidates who are willing to take the job at the current salary."
Florida is the third largest state in the U.S. by population but the governor's salary is not in the top ten salaries for the role in the union.
It is also a state with high levels of inflation. According to a Wednesday WalletHub report, Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro areas came in number two for cities with the biggest inflation problems.
The proposal would also increase the salaries of the lieutenant governor and the state Cabinet offices of attorney general, chief financial officer and agricultural commissioner.
It will be considered by the Florida Senate on Thursday.
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Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more
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