LAND O'LAKES, Fla. — Florida Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez made a stop in Pasco County Monday. She hosted a roundtable all about cybersecurity.
"With the ever-increasing risk of cyber threats and cyber criminals, we have taken steps to put the state of Florida in a much better posture," she said.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, Florida Digital Service Chief Information Officer James Grant, Florida Department of Management Services Secretary Pedro Allende, and Jabil, Inc. Chief Information Security Officer Jed Young joined the Lt. Governor to discuss the changes Florida has made in the last two years surrounding cybersecurity.
The Lt. Governor said the state has committed $250 million to initiatives, like the Florida Local Government Security Grant.
"The more we tell people about security, the more they understand it. The one thing we have to keep explaining now is cybersecurity. There used to be a saying that people rob banks because that's where the money is. Today's gold is data. If you can get to the data, you can get to the gold," explained Sheriff Nocco.
PCSO is one of 35 recipients of the grant that's aimed at giving cybersecurity technical assistance to agencies.
The grant is also focused on increasing the number of cybersecurity experts and workers in the state.
"There's a global shortage of roughly 2.7 million individuals estimated in the area of cybersecurity. In Florida alone, 22,000 individuals needed for today and tomorrow," said Nunez.
Sheriff Chris Nocco is already preparing to tackle the shortage in Pasco County.
"We're going to be able to set up training centers so when kids are coming out of high school, we'll bring them in. As they're in here now, if they want to stay in law enforcement or get into the realm, we want to help them on that path," he said.
Hoping the action taken today leads to a safer Florida as technology continues to grow.
