A local firefighter is suing the city of St. Petersburg after he says he was denied benefits he should have received after his cancer diagnosis. Back in May, Governor DeSantis signed a bill granting firefighters certain benefits upon receiving a cancer diagnosis. Lt. Jason Francis has been employed by the city of St. Petersburg's Fire Department for more than 16 years and was diagnosed in January of 2019 with one of the cancers listed in the statute. Lt. Francis applied to the city for the benefits. The lawsuit says that despite the fact that Lt. Francis met all the prerequisites for obtaining the benefits, his application was rejected because he was diagnosed before July 1 when the law went into effect. The city claims Lt. Francis does not qualify for the benefit under the law. They say his cancer diagnosis occurred in May 2018. The law went into effect July 1, 2019.