Governor Ron DeSantis announced more than $100 million in funding proposals to support Florida’s National Guard and establish the Florida State Guard, a civilian volunteer force that will assist the National Guard in state-specific emergencies. The Governor’s budget proposal includes:
- $87.5 million to expand the existing readiness center in Miramar and to establish three new armories in Homestead, Gainesville, and Malabar.
- $8.9 million for existing armory maintenance.
- $2.2 million for a new headquarters for the National Guard Counter Drug Program.
- $5.1 million to support Florida National Guardsmen seeking higher-education degrees.
- $3.5 million to establish the Florida State Guard.
“We are proud of our veterans and active-duty military members and proud of what our communities do to support them,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida is one of the most veteran friendly states and I think there are very few places that you would rather be on duty than in the state of Florida. As a veteran, I really appreciate what everyone who wears the uniform does in our state and am excited about these proposals – they will go a long way and have a meaningful impact. In Florida, we are going to continue our momentum of supporting our military, supporting our veterans and being good stewards of our military installations.”
The military spending budget for the Florida National Guard supports vital emergency response services that the National Guard provides.
The establishment of the Florida State Guard will further support those emergency response efforts in the event of a hurricane, natural disasters and other state emergencies. The $3.5 million to establish the Florida State Guard will enable civilians to be trained in the best emergency response techniques. By establishing the Florida State Guard, Florida will become the 23rd state with a state guard recognized by the federal government.
The budget proposal also includes $12.2 million in scholarships for children and spouses of deceased or disabled veterans, and $3.6 million to improve base infrastructure and support projects that keep our military installations among the best in the nation.
FROM GOVERNOR DESANTIS' OFFICE
Last week Governor Ron DeSantis announced $400 million in new funding proposals to increase the salaries of Florida’s state law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and state special risk firefighters, and to provide $1,000 bonuses for first responders, including law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and firefighters across the state for the second year in a row. Governor DeSantis also announced $5,000 bonuses to recruit and retain both state and local level law enforcement. Governor DeSantis announced the proposal that will be considered during the 2022 Florida Legislative Session at the Florida Highway Patrol station in Orlando.
For more details, click here.
“While other states have turned their backs on law enforcement, even calling to ‘defund the police,’ in Florida we continue to support the men and women in law enforcement,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud to propose larger and longer-lasting measures to help our state recruit and retain the best law enforcement officers in the nation and to provide $1,000 bonuses for first responders and law enforcement officers for the second year in a row.”
“Governor DeSantis’ historic law enforcement pay proposal furthers Florida’s support of law enforcement, and it also addresses a critical need within the Florida Highway Patrol,” said Terry L. Rhodes, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. “Recruiting and retaining highly qualified law enforcement officers dedicated to public services is crucial, now more than ever. The Governor’s historic pay proposal makes it clear that Florida cares for and recognizes the sacrifices that law enforcement officers and their families make, many times in the most challenging of circumstances.”
This announcement builds on Governor DeSantis’ proposal that was unveiled in August to recruit and retain local law enforcement officers with new officer signing bonuses, an academy scholarship program, and out-of-state relocation support.
Read more about those proposals here.
Earlier in 2021, Governor DeSantis worked with the Florida Legislature to secure $1,000 bonuses for 174,000 first responders, and signed House Bill 1, hallmark anti-rioting legislation.
Read more about those announcements here and here.
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY
This week, Ashley Moody warned consumers about payment app hack attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic may have prompted more Americans to use these apps in an effort to reduce face-to-face contact.
With the rapid increase in the popularity of these apps, comes the potential for hackers and scammers to interrupt transactions. Be careful when making mobile payments through these platforms and take steps to ensure the money you are sending goes to the intended recipient and not to a scammer.
To avoid scams while making peer-to-peer payments:
- Create a second bank account with limited funds to connect to mobile payment applications.
- Register a credit card rather than a bank account or a debit card as credit cards provide extra user protections.
- Regularly review financial statements to check for signs of fraudulent transactions.
- Verify that money being sent is going to the correct recipient.
For more information, access Consumer Alert here.
If you encounter one of these attacks, report it to Attorney General’s office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM, or by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.
By taking steps to protect your financial accounts and reporting scams when you see them, you can help build a Stronger, Safer Florida.
Additionally, Attorney General Ashley Moody is fighting back against organized retail theft as 70% of store owners nationwide report an increase in crime over the past year. Most of the high-profile, smash-and-grab cases are taking place outside of Florida in cities like San Francisco, where several multi-day crime sprees disrupted holiday shopping. To prevent lawlessness in Florida and protect retailers and shoppers, Attorney General Moody has launched the Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange, a first-of-its-kind, statewide task force and a new interactive database to help spot trends, identify suspects and take down massive, organized retail theft rings. The database is designed to bridge the gaps between retailers, law enforcement and prosecutors by allowing shareable, searchable information on incidents of theft statewide.
Unity - We need to stand together.
As we approach the 2022 mid-term elections and the 2024 presidential election, and in light of the abject failure of the Biden administration, we know that the very survival of our republic depends on the outcome of those elections. Therefore, we must stay unified. Never lose sight of who our political opponents are… the progressive left Democrats who are taking our country off a cliff with the active help of Big Tech and the old-line national news media. Our fellow Republicans are not the enemy!
HAPPENINGS
