WASHINGTON—U.S. Representative Scott Franklin (R–FL) joined Florida Democrats and Republicans in a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to request equitable funding and resource allocation for the Florida National Guard in the Defense Budget for 2022. The Florida National Guard plays a critical role in safeguarding our state. Florida, the nation’s third most populous state, adds approximately 1,000 new residents per day, yet the number of guardsmen is capped. Florida ranks 53 out of 54 in number of guardsmen. As the state’s population continues to grow, this cap hurts the Guard’s ability to respond to crises. 

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Florida National Guard has played a pivotal role to support Florida’s pandemic response and vaccine rollout… Thanks to their hard work and support, over 5 million Floridians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that number rises every day,” wrote the lawmakers. “While we have a deep appreciation for these accomplishments during an unprecedented time, we are concerned with the Florida National Guard’s lack of proportionate force structure allocation,” the members wrote. “Our state’s National Guard can no longer lag behind future growth.”

“Florida is the nation’s fourth most disaster-prone state and as a result our National Guard has experienced one of the highest Operation Tempos (OPTEMPO) with over 22,000 National Guardsmen deployed since 9/11 and over 1.1 million workdays supporting state disaster response. If force structure were proportional, the Florida National Guard would have a force of as many as 21,000 Guardsmen, rather than the current number of 12,000 Guardsmen.”

The full text of the letter is available here: 

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