Florida State Guard

The Legislature unanimously approved the measure Tuesday, March 5.

A small number of members of the Florida State Guard have been deployed to Texas to assist with border operations and about 30 more are on standby, Director Mark Thieme told members of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Monday.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we talk about a proposal to prohibit children 16 and under from creating social media accounts, how Florida’s National and State Guards are being used at the U.S. Southern border, this week’s Florida Supreme Court hearings over the abortion ballot measure, education stories, and a new Florida tax for Netflix subscribers.

The retired US military veteran is now the official head of Florida’s new and improved civilian militia.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he is deploying members of the Florida State Guard and additional members of the Florida National Guard to Texas, which is in a dispute with the federal government about undocumented immigrants entering the country.

A bill would allow the guard to fulfill service agreements with other states, including at the southern border.

The state guard was initially set up during World War II to replace Florida National Guard members who were deployed abroad. It became inactive in 1947.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has touted the state guard move as historical, yet one former military officer says state militias have a dark past that should not be overlooked.

The planned multi-million-dollar deal is part of an expansion of the guard that lawmakers approved this year.

DeSantis’ office said the Florida State Guard bill (HB 1285) was among eight military-related measures that he signed Friday.

The proposal includes nearly $49.5 million for aircraft and helicopters, $22.7 million for equipment storage, $10 million for a guard headquarters, $2.7 million for maritime craft and $1.5 million to create a “Digital Forensic Center of Excellence”

The state guard was set up during World War II to replace Florida National Guard members who were deployed abroad. It went inactive in 1947 but remained in state law.