Joey Malphurs has been a firefighter for more than 20 years and now serves as the Alachua County Fire Rescue training captain.
He was recently diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and is now pushing for a bill that would provide benefits to firefighters across the state who develop one of 21 kinds of cancer. The bill, HB 857, has 70 co-sponsors in the Florida House, but has failed to move through any committees yet.
“It does not appear that the house speaker is going to allow House Bill 857 to ever reach the floor,” Malphurs said.