![]() Unlike the National Guard, State Guard members can’t be deployed by the federal government. Although some Democrats were critical of handing DeSantis more power, state lawmakers last year gave the governor twice the volunteers that he requested: 400 members and a $10 million budget. Three former members told the Times/Herald the program veered from its original mission.ĭeSantis proposed bringing back the World War II-era force to supplement the overworked and understaffed Florida National Guard. “This is to be expected with any course that demands rigor and discipline.” “We are aware that some trainees who were removed are dissatisfied,” Haas said. In a statement, Haas said the State Guard was a “military organization” that will be used not just for emergencies but for “aiding law enforcement with riots and illegal immigration.” Haas, Florida’s adjutant general overseeing the Florida National Guard. Weeks into that inaugural June training, one volunteer, a disabled retired Marine Corps captain, called the local sheriff’s office to report he was battered by Florida National Guard instructors when they forcibly shoved him into a van after he questioned the program and its leadership.ĭeSantis’ office referred questions to Maj. According to records reviewed by the Times/Herald and interviews with program volunteers, a number of recruits quit after the first training class last month because they feared it was becoming too militaristic. The state is looking for the program’s third leader in eight months. But in the year since its launch, key personnel and a defined mission remain elusive. When DeSantis announced in 2021 that he wanted to revive the long-dormant State Guard, he vowed it would help Floridians during emergencies.
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