Gov. Ron DeSantis is sending holiday tidings to state workers, shutting state offices for three additional days over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
The decision enables state workers to kick off the holiday season with an unexpected five-day Thanksgiving Day-Black-Friday-college-football-rivalry weekend.
And also to close out 2022 with four-day weekends for Christmas and New Year’s.
Those holidays fall on Sundays and state offices were already scheduled to be closed the Mondays afterward – DeSantis extends the celebration for state workers with additional paid days off.
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“Our state employees have worked hard throughout the year, especially over the past few months responding to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement.
“Closing state offices on November 23, December 23 and December 30 will provide state employees with some much-deserved time with their families to enjoy the holiday season. The First Lady and I are thankful for the dedication our state employees have demonstrated to helping the people of Florida.”
In past years, employees could take the time later on if unable to
In the past, state employees whose positions prevented them from taking off the additional time have had the opportunity to do so later.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist started the end-of-the-year holiday tradition of extra days off in 2008, when he closed state offices on Christmas and New Year’s eves.
Former Gov. Rick Scott observed the tradition Christmas 2011, discontinued it in 2016 and revived it in 2018.
DeSantis has granted workers an extra holiday all four years he has been in office, but 2022 is the first time he’s gifted a four-day weekend.
State of Florida Holiday Observance
2022
sources: Department of Management Services and the Office of the Governor.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee
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