Gov. Rick Scott flew into Jacksonville on Wednesday to host a military roundtable discussion with community leaders, including Mayor Lenny Curry.
His focus was the survival of programs under the Florida Defense Alliance, through Enterprise Florida, which the Florida House recently voted to eliminate.
Scott made it clear that he does not support the organization’s elimination.
The Florida Defense Alliance “helps our military meet their missions,” he said. “Military bases are a big deal in our state, and in Jacksonville.”
He sees the elimination of the alliance as a threat to jobs and urged people to reach out to House and Senate members.
Curry said there was no better place than Jacksonville to talk about it.
“This is not a theoretical discussion. People want to know that they can get a job and that their kids can get an education and that they are safe,” he said.
The one-hour event was held at the Florida Army National Guard building.
Enterprise Florida is a public-private partnership between the state’s business and government leaders, with a mission to expand and diversify the economy through job creation.
The Florida Defense Alliance is a statewide, grass-roots organization dedicated to preserving and supporting Florida’s military installations and the families they support.
Many people don’t realize that “we are part of Enterprise Florida. We are a creation of Enterprise Florida,” said Kellie Jo Kilberg, chair of the Florida Defense Alliance.
The Florida Defense Alliance has helped improve educational opportunities for military children, according to a flyer distributed at the roundtable.
It has also championed employment opportunities for military spouses, and works to protect and strengthen Florida military installations ahead of any potential Department of Defense realignment or closure.
Scott said that in Northeast Florida, it helped achieve a grant award of $400,000 in February to Clay County through the Florida Defense Support Task Force Grant Program to buffer Camp Blanding from incompatible land development in the vicinity.
Camp Blanding trains more than 350,000 Florida National Guard troops, active duty members, and law enforcement units.
In October 2016, the city of Jacksonville was awarded $97,925 through the Defense Reinvestment Grant to fund a study to determine how to grow the military presence at NAS Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport, and an additional $300,000 was awarded through the Defense Infrastructure Grant for enrichment protection for the bases.
In June, $101,500 was awarded to the National Math and Science Initiative in Clay County to help improve student performance for military children.
Community leaders at the roundtable included City Council member Aaron Bowman; Capt. Matt Tuohy, director of the School of Aviation at Jacksonville University; Steve Kaufman, president and CEO of SJKPR; John “Chuck” Nygaard, manager of business development at Crowley Maritime; J.B. Renninger, vice president of operations with Grant Development & Management LLC; and Leigh Ann Rassler, public relations manager with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
Scott also handed out Governor’s Veterans Service Award medals to those in attendance who have served in the military. “Thank you everybody for their military service,” he said.
Bowman said the services provided by the Florida Defense Alliance are “invaluable.”
“We certainly support the continuation of the FDA,” he said.
After the roundtable, Kilberg said the Florida Senate supports the military, and so does the governor.
“But right now we are raising the red flag. If Enterprise Florida goes away, we go away,” she said.