from staff
Gov. Charlie Crist has signed House Bill 7123, relating to military base closures, and to create the Florida Council on Military Base Mission Support. The council will support and strengthen all United States Department of Defense missions and bases located throughout Florida in order to enhance the missions of the 20 installations and three unified commands in Florida as well as the nearly $60-billion-a-year defense sector of Florida’s economy.
“Florida has a long history of welcoming members of the military and veterans and we are proud to have them and their families in the Sunshine State,” said Crist. “The council will help us maintain our reputation as the most military-friendly state in the nation by better coordinating community and state support for military bases and operations throughout Florida.”
Crist signed the legislation at Eglin Air Force Base, the largest Air Force installation in the world. Sponsored by Rep. Dave Murzin and Sen. Don Gaetz, the legislation could have a significant impact on Florida’s economy by helping keep the current military base infrastructure intact while promoting the transfer of additional military assets to Florida.
The council will consist of nine members. Three will be appointed by the president of the State Senate, one of whom must be a member of the Senate. Of the remaining two appointees, one shall be a representative from a community-based defense support organization and one shall be a retired military general or flag rank officer or an executive officer of a defense contracting firm doing significant business in Florida.
The speaker of the House of Representatives will also appoint three members to the council in similar fashion including one member of the House of Representatives. The remaining three council members will be appointed by the governor. These appointees shall include the director or designee of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development, the vice-chair or designee of Enterprise Florida, Inc. and one discretionary appointee.
Legislative members of the council will serve a term of two years commencing on July 1 of each odd year. The remaining members will be appointed to four-year terms with vacancies filled for any unexpired portion in the same manner as the initial appointment. All members of the council are eligible for reappointment.
The bill provides that members of the council elect a chair and vice-chair. The chair and vice-chair serve terms of two years and are eligible to succeed themselves.
Harrison Conyers, manager of the City’s Veterans & Disabled Services Division, said the council is great for the state.
“It’s (the military) really and truly one of the economic drivers in the state and deserves a lot of attention,” he said. “Other states are lobbying for these jobs. We all work together. We may have a Navy base here, but an air base down south may support that base here.”
Conyers said Bob Buehn, chief of the City’s Military Affairs, Veterans & Disabled Division, has been in contact with the governor’s office and talked about serving on at least one of the subcommittees of the council.
“We work very closely with the governor’s office and his military liaison, Joe Marino,” said Conyers, adding he isn’t sure when the appointments will be made or when the council will begin meeting.
Sterling Ivy, press secretary to Crist, confirmed that no appointments had been made as of Tuesday.
To ensure the continued growth of Florida’s defense economic sector, the Florida Council on Military Base Mission Support will develop an understanding of the capabilities of all state military installations with the goal of supporting future growth opportunities. They will also support local community efforts by acting as liaison between local communities and the Florida Legislature. The council will help Florida support the military installations and the servicemen and women working at them by guarding against the closing of installations in Florida or realigning their resources to other states.
According to a 2008 economic study conducted by the University of West Florida Haas Center, defense-related spending is important to Florida’s economy. Highlights of the study include:
• United States Department of Defense spending flowing directly into Florida’s economy totals $27.1 billion. Defense-related spending accounts for 7.5 percent of Florida’s gross state product and a total of 732,300 direct and indirect jobs.
• Since 2003, the economic impact of military and defense activities in Florida has increased by more than 9 percent each year, and the industry can expect continuous growth reaching an economic impact of $59.5 billion by 2010.
• Since 1999, the State of Florida has invested nearly $40 million in Defense Infrastructure Grants to fund joint-use infrastructure projects around military bases to improve or upgrade roads, water supply, power grids and communication.
Florida‘s 20 military installations are based in 13 counties. The three unified combatant commands are United States Central Command and the United States Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base and the United States Southern Command in Miami.