CONGRESSWOMAN SALAZAR JOINS SENATOR RUBIO IN URGING NATIONAL GUARD TO ALLOCATE MORE RESOURCES TO FLORIDA

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) joined U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and the entire Florida congressional delegation in urging General Daniel Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB), to allocate additional resources to the Florida National Guard (FLNG). The lawmakers expressed concern with the current imbalance of resources for the FLNG compared to other states. Despite being the third most populous state and growing, the FLNG is ranked 53 out of 54 in the ratio of Guard personnel to total state population. The letter asks the NGB to take state population and operational tempo into account when determining where to allocate force structure and resources.

"In the last 28 years, there have been 48 National Guard activations in Florida, and many of these activations required a multi-state response," the lawmakers wrote. "Hurricane Irma in 2017 required approximately 2,200 Guard personnel from 22 states. FLNG is strained for resources in responding to natural disasters, and with most states still using their Guard personnel for COVID-19 efforts, we are concerned about the lack of Guard resources in Florida in future weather events that typically garner a multi-state response. The limited resources allocated to Florida has affected the FLNG's ability to rotate personnel and putting greater demands on Guard families."

The full text of the letter is below.

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