DeSantis pitches boost for Florida National Guard that includes Gainesville armory

A $100 million package of budget proposals to better fund the Florida National Guard, presented by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday, includes a new armory in Gainesville — the first facility of its kind in Alachua County in more than 40 years.

The governor made the announcement Thursday morning while speaking before a small group of guardsmen at the Pensacola National Guard Armory.

"I'm proud to say that this budget is going to have major investments to support Florida's National Guard," DeSantis said. "In fact, we are recommending more than $100 million to support our National Guard to ensure they have the means necessary to carry out their mission — whether that be the federal functions that they can do overseas, whether that's supporting disaster recovery and relief operations in Florida. Across the board, when we need help, we have the Guard there for us.”

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DeSantis was joined at the Pensacola National Guard Armory by his 3-year-old son, Mason, who held his father's hand during the approximately 20-minute press conference, and by Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert, the adjunct general of Florida.

"This year, the governor is committing to the most substantial investment in the Florida National Guard facility program in the entire history of the Florida National Guard," Eifert said. "These investments will help us maintain our readiness and hopefully grow our force, enabling us to continue ensuring the safety and security of the citizens of Florida."

DeSantis said he plans to infuse the state's support of the National Guard with the following:

• $87.5 million to expand the Florida National Guard's existing readiness center in Miramar and build three new Florida National Guard armories across the state that would house up to 1,500 guardsmen, including the one in Gainesville.

• $8.9 million to bolster maintenance at existing armories across the state.

• $2.2 million to support the Florida National Guard's counter-drug program.

• $5.1 million to support Florida National Guard members who are seeking higher education so they can better support themselves and their families while pursuing their academic ambitions.

• $3.6 million to improve Florida National Guard bases' infrastructure and other projects

The closest National Guard units to Gainesville now are in Ocala and Starke. In 2007, the state considered placing an armory in Alachua County, eyeing a 30-acre piece of state property in eastern Alachua County. But that didn't materialize.

It is not yet clear where the Gainesville armory would be located or how many full-time positions it would bring.

A 2007 story in the Gainesville Sun quoted Jon Myatt, then spokesman for the Florida Department of Military Affairs, saying, "We haven't had an armory in Gainesville for about 30 years."

At that time, the estimated cost for new armory was about $20 million.

DeSantis also announced he will propose that $12.2 million of the state's budget be earmarked for scholarships for the children and spouses of deceased and disabled veterans.

Furthermore, the governor said he will recommend that $3.5 million of the state budget go to the re-establishment of a Florida State Guard. The Florida State Guard would act as a volunteer force that would be able to assist the Florida National Guard in "state-specific emergencies," DeSantis said.

DeSantis said he hopes the $3.5 million will allow for training and equipment for up to 200 Florida State Guard members.

"Re-establishing the Florida State Guard will allow civilians from all over the state to be trained in the best emergency response techniques and have the ability to mobilize very, very quickly," DeSantis said.

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The Florida National Guard has been on the front lines of relief and recovery efforts related not only to natural disasters such as hurricanes, but also in the ongoing battle to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"We had the National Guard going into nursing homes and providing other testing and screening to protect our most vulnerable," DeSantis said. "When it came time to do vaccine distribution, you had National Guard helping out with that response in a very, very big way. So we appreciate all the effort that has happened over the last year and a half. It has made a huge difference."

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680. The Gainesville Sun contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida National Guard armory in Gainesville part of DeSantis' pitch