Gov. DeSantis OKs $37 million for cyber security

Gov. Ron DeSantis approved more than $37 million in the state budget on Wednesday to fortify Florida’s defenses against cyber security threats.

According to the Governor’s Office, the money will be used to enhance cybersecurity at various state agencies and protect Floridians from “cyber threats that can compromise critical state resources and sensitive information.”

The new funding comes as private and public entities work to prevent infamous cyber security breaches such as the ones that stunned Twitter in 2020 and the shutdown a major fuel pipeline in May, creating a panic that led to fuel shortages in north Florida and elsewhere.

Notably, Florida has had its fair share of cybersecurity mishaps in recent years.

In October of 2020, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) fell victim to “malicious activity” orchestrated against the department’s data and systems.

The attack, which didn’t compromise anyone’s personal data, created temporary outages and left the department operating at a limited capacity for several weeks.

In November of 2020, a hacker sent text messages through a custom-made communications application for the Division of Emergency Management reserved for emergencies only.

The first message, originally reported by the Tampa Bay Times, urged recipients to “speak up before another 17,000 people are dead,” referring to the state’s COVID-19 death toll at the time.

“You know this is wrong,” the message added. “You don’t have to be a part of this. Be a hero. Speak out before it’s too late.”

In all, DOH estimates that 1,750 messages were sent before software vendors with ReadyOp, who designed the system, were able to cancel the distribution.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement later served a warrant at the home of Rebekah Jones in connection to the hack.

Jones is a former Department of Health data curator who made national headlines after being fired from the department for insubordination. She’s denied any involvement with the hack.

While Florida is rolling its sleeves to fortify its cyber space, DeSantis in May encouraged the federal government to do the same amid the fuel shortage.

“We really do need the federal government to step up,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Tarpon Springs. “Initially, they were acting like it was just a private matter. I mean no, this is a critical infrastructure for our country that was attacked, that can interrupt people’s daily lives and our economy.”

The new budget takes effect July 1.

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