Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed reestablishing a civil militia that would aid the state in events of natural disasters and other emergencies.
The militia, which would be known as the Florida State Guard, would be under DeSantis’s control and consist of 200 volunteer civilians “trained in the best emergency response techniques,” according to a press release.
The Florida State Guard was originally created in 1941 to fill in for National Guard members deployed during World War II, but was disbanded in 1947. If the Florida legislature approves DeSantis’s plan to bring the militia back, it would be one of 23 active state guards in the country.
The force would be able to provide support “in ways that are not encumbered by the federal government,” DeSantis said.
Though he did not go into specifics, DeSantis’s office did confirm that members of Florida’s State Guard would not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, unlike members of the National Guard.
“Florida law prohibits all of our state and local government entities from requiring their employees to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination,” Christina Pushaw, the governor’s spokeswoman, said in a statement.
“More broadly, Florida law protects jobs and workers’ rights by prohibiting employer vaccine mandates in the private sector as well,” Pushaw added. “Biden’s CMS mandate and OSHA mandate, covering healthcare and private-sector employers, respectively, have been blocked by courts. However, Biden’s DOD vaccine mandate is still in place, as is the federal employee/federal contractor vaccine mandate.”
DeSantis is asking for $3.5 million from the state legislature to reestablish the militia.
The proposal is part of DeSantis’s larger military budget agenda, which would expand funding for the state’s civilian forces and veterans by $100 million.
“In Florida,’ DeSantis said, “we are going to continue our momentum of supporting our military, supporting our veterans and being good stewards of our military installations.”
