Gov. Rick Scott approved an extra paid day off for state workers during the Christmas break.
On Friday, the governor — for the third year in a row — directed executive agencies to close on Dec. 26.
Employees in essential positions will have to work that day, but they get six months to take an equal amount of administrative leave.
In all, Florida observes nine paid holidays every year, according to the Department of Management Services: New Year’s Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving; the day after Thanksgiving; and Christmas.