VIDEO: Sunshine Salute Series: Attorney General Moody Sits Down with NYC Law Enforcement Couple Who Moved to Be Florida Heroes

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Release Date
Dec 5, 2023
Contact
Kylie Mason
Phone
(850) 245-0150

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—To continue the Sunshine Salute Sit-Down Series, Attorney General Ashley Moody sat down with Tampa International Airport Officers Angeliesse and Mike Nesterwitz. The couple recently left New York City to become Florida heroes. The Nesterwitzes are two of more than 230 New York officers who answered the call to serve in the most pro-law enforcement state in the nation. Angeliesse and Mike grew up in New York—meeting and marrying each other while working for the New York City Police Department. The law enforcement lovebirds told Attorney General Moody that Florida provides the support and climate to continue their service and start a family. 

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We are seeing a lot of New York’s finest leave the Empire State and head to Florida—more than 230 since July 2022. I recently met two of these new Florida heroes, and I am excited to help tell their love story—for each other and the great state of Florida—as we continue our Sunshine Salute Sit-Down Series.” 

During the conversation with Attorney General Moody, Angeliesse spoke about strong family ties to New York and NYPD. Growing up in the Empire State, Angeliesse’s mother was an NYPD officer, inspiring Angeliesse to join the profession. That is where Angeliesse met Mike. The two fell in love and later tied the knot. After years of service in New York, the Nesterwitzes answered the call to come be Florida heroes. After some discussion, they moved to Tampa Bay and now serve at the TIAPD where they told Attorney General Moody they would like to grow their family. 

To learn more about the Nesterwitzes, click here.

Sweetening the pot for the Nesterwitzes, and the more than 900 officers who moved to Florida since July 2022, are a plethora of new state incentives, including:

  • $5,000 one-time recruitment bonuses;
  • A $1,000 allowance toward basic recruit training costs;
  • Up to $1,100 of equivalency training costs for certified law enforcement officers, or members of the special operations forces who become full-time law enforcement officers, who relocate to Florida;
  • Up to $25,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible “hometown hero” homebuyers;
  • Up to $25,000 for officers who adopt a child from Florida’s child foster care system;
  • Exemptions from basic prerequisites for veterans and applicants with an associate degree or higher to enter a law enforcement officer basic recruit training program; and
  • Family empowerment scholarships so children of law enforcement officers may attend a school of their choice, including private schools.

To hear additional stories in Attorney General Moody’s Sunshine Salute Sit-Down Series, click here.  

The series is part of a push to recruit more qualified law enforcement officers to Florida and follows the launch of Attorney General Moody’s Be A Florida Hero initiative. Attorney General Moody created Be A Florida Hero in 2021 to encourage law enforcement officers across the country to come and serve in Florida. The program offers an interactive map highlighting available career opportunities throughout the state. 

For more on why Florida is the number one state for recruitment and retention of highly qualified professionals, visit BeAFloridaHero.com.

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