TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Highway Patrol advocates want lawmakers to increase funding in the budget as the agency faces a trooper shortage that leaves them and the public vulnerable.
“The public safety impact of having too few troopers and the companion problem of paying our troopers far too little is staggering. We have thousands of people dying on the roads every year. Literally thousands. We have eight or nine people dying on the roads every day,” Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council member Paul Novack told News 6.
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“So, when we have far too few troopers, in large part because we pay them so little, it’s impossible to recruit and retain. What happens is the troopers cannot produce the visibility, the deterrence, the response time or the enforcement that the public deserves and frankly is paying for it.”
Novack said the current FHP workforce is overworked and underpaid, which impedes their ability to protect Florida’s 21 million residents and 140 million visitors.
“The motoring public notices the absence of troopers. Most people still drive responsibly, but there’s a growing number that do the opposite. They know there’s no visibility or presence out there,” he said.
As the 2025 Florida legislative session was extended until June 6, Novack hopes they will reconsider some budget items.
“This year alone, the state is spending about $15 billion on highway and road construction and next year, it will be another $15 billion. Yet, what it would take to fully fund the Florida Highway Patrol is a minuscule, tiny percentage of that number,” he said.
If no changes are made, Novack fears things will get worse.
“If all of the troopers see this legislative session close and finish with no change in the status quo, there are a lot of people who are going to leave,” he said. “And that’s going to cripple effectiveness even more.”
Novack suggested the legislature allocate $70 million to the FHP to address staffing issues.
“This would not require any tax increase or any fee increase, any toll increase. Nothing. The money is there. They just have to allocate it,” he said. “I’m just asking the legislature to turn aside from the special interests and the profiteering demands upon them and the budget and prioritize public safety, saving lives and making it possible for these state troopers that you say you appreciate, make it possible for them to have a decent living.”