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Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council member requests $70M in state funding to address staffing

A Florida Highway Patrol officer salutes during the singing of the national anthem on the field prior to an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
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FR121174 AP
A Florida Highway Patrol officer salutes during the singing of the national anthem on the field prior to an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

"FHP cannot effectively retain troopers or recruit troopers."

A Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council member is asking the state for $70 million to help grow the force.

Civil litigation attorney and FHP Advisory Council member Paul Novack says Florida's state troopers are severely underfunded.

"There is an urgent need for attention and resolution of some very serious issues that are impacting public safety every day," Novack told WFSU in a brief telephone interview Tuesday.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) has been helping the Trump administration carry out its immigration laws, while undergoing a brief hiring freeze.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), Florida Highway Patrol is authorized for 1,982 sworn positions and 503 non-sworn positions for a total of 2,485 full time employees.

But Novack claims the state is short of a few hundred state troopers.

WATCH BELOW: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds press conference with members of the Florida Highway Patrol

“State troopers need to be compensated fairly," said Novack. "Their compensation levels are so ridiculously low that FHP cannot effectively retain or recruit troopers.”

Under the governor’s agreement with ICE, Florida’s troopers are executing warrants for immigration violations.

“Florida is setting the example for states in combating illegal immigration and working with the Trump Administration to restore the rule of law,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Feb. 19 press release.

The FHP Advisory Council hopes this year, the Legislature will address recruitment, among other things like purchasing new FHP equipment.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.