Florida’s version of the GI Bill was approved by the Florida Senate today and is now headed to the governor for his signature. State Sen. Darren Soto of Kissimmee says giving in-state tuition to all military veterans, regardless of when they move to Florida, is just one component of the broad, military-friendly measure.
“We created a walk of fame to highlight our military veteran heroes," he said.
"We allowed (under) Florida state law that you could have preferences for hiring veterans. So a lot of great stuff going forward to welcome them back.”
Making it legal for businesses to hire veterans over other applicants, Soto says, will protect employers who otherwise might be sued for discrimination. The bill also includes college scholarships for National Guard members, and money to renovate armories and buy land adjacent to military bases.
"A lot of our service men and women are coming home from Afghanistan and many are already back from Iraq so we wanted to make Florida the number one destination for where they come and settle down,” he said.
The law is set to take effect July 1. Florida is currently home to 1.5 million veterans, and more than 60,000 active military personnel.
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