@Brad_Rosenheim When #DeSantis announced in 2021 that he wanted to revive the long-dormant #State #Guard, he vowed it would help Floridians during emergencies.

But in the year since its launch, key personnel and a defined mission remain elusive. The state is looking for the program’s third leader in eight months.

According to records reviewed by the Times/Herald and interviews with program volunteers, a number of recruits quit after the first training class last month because they feared it was becoming #too #militaristic.

Weeks into that inaugural June training, one volunteer, a disabled retired Marine Corps captain, called the local sheriff’s office to report he was battered by Florida National Guard instructors when they forcibly shoved him into a van after he questioned the program and its leadership.
DeSantis’ office referred questions to Maj. Gen. John D. Haas, Florida’s adjutant general overseeing the Florida National Guard.
In a statement, Haas said the State Guard was a “#military #organization” that will be used not just for emergencies but for “aiding law enforcement with @riots and illegal @immigration.”
“We are aware that some trainees who were removed are dissatisfied,” Haas said. “This is to be expected with any course that demands rigor and discipline.”
Three former members told the Times/Herald the program veered from its original mission.