As the Miami Herald reported, DeSantis’ plan for the Florida State Guard has grown from 200 volunteers and a $5 million budget to 1,500 members and a nearly $100 million budget. The Florida legislature seems ready to appease him.
DeSantis told lawmakers he wanted $98 million for the program but didn’t offer many details. Republican leaders in the House proposed more than $89 million in their budget, including six boats and tow vehicles, $49.5 million for planes and helicopters, $22.7 million to store those vehicles and $10 million for a new headquarters.
They also want another $750,000 to contract with the Israeli company Cellebrite to create a “Digital Forensic Center of Excellence” that would help the State Guard target human trafficking and drug and child exploitation crimes, including on farms. Cellebrite is often hired by police departments because of its ability to break into iPhones.
While almost half the states have similar volunteer forces, they typically help the national guard with logistics, such as driving forklifts or delivering food during emergencies, the Herald noted.
So, what the heck does DeSantis plan to do with all that new power? The possibilities are terrifying.
More from the Herald:
The House bill, HB 1285, modeled on DeSantis’ proposed legislation, would create a specialized law enforcement unit within the State Guard, with the ability to bear arms and make arrests. Its scope would also be expanded, from only being activated during emergencies to being activated to “protect and defend the people of Florida from threats to public safety.”
Not even the Texas State Guard, which assists with border issues, comes close to DeSantis’ vision for his Florida militia. The Texas State Guard has no law enforcement unit, no helicopters, airplanes or cellphone-hacking technology; its members are not armed and have no power to make arrests, the Herald reported.
We already know DeSantis thinks that talking about or reading about gay rights or civil rights is some kind of threat to public safety. God only knows what else this authoritarian will try to control or confiscate. Two things we know he won’t consider combatting, though: guns, pandemics or his state’s bottom-of-the-barrel rate of health insurance coverage.
