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Defense - Base Realignment and Closure
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Florida is proud to be home to 21 military installations and three unified commands, where over 82,000 Department of Defense personnel both active duty and civilianserve. Each of Floridas 67 counties is home to defense-related spending, and military families contribute greatly to the volunteerism and social fabric of our state. With the high concentration of military installations and defense contractors in Florida, the impact of defense-related spending on our economy has been substantial, lending to a
$44 billion economic impact and employing over 714,000 Floridians.
Defense technologies transferred into commercial use have been significant in building Floridas high-tech sector, entrepreneurial start-ups, and venture capital
base.
Since taking office, Governor Jeb Bush has been a stalwart advocate on behalf of Floridas military personnel, defense installations, and their host communities. Such advocacy has led to significant actions aimed to improve the quality of life for military personnel stationed in Florida, to strengthen the missions of Florida installations, and to maximize the economic impact of defense-related spending and contracting. The Governor meets twice a year with the commanders of each installation located in Florida and has worked aggressively with the various branches of the military to retain and, in fact, bring new military missions to the state. Such efforts have paid off. Most recently, with the moves from Vieques and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, significant new missions have been introduced throughout Florida as the Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marines have chosen to utilize prime Florida-based assets for readiness training. The states proactive work with the military has been critical as our nation enters into further rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) proceedings in 2005. Protecting Floridas military installations during the proposed 2005 BRAC process is a priority of the Bush/Jennings administration. As such, in March 2003, Governor Bush appointed his Advisory Council on BRAC, made up of senior business and retired military leaders, to develop and lead a strategic effort to best protect Floridas bases from closure and downsizing. The Council works in tandem with the Florida Defense Alliance under the administration of Enterprise Florida. |
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| Infrastructure and Base Retention | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Since 1999, more than $15 million in
defense infrastructure and community defense grants
have been invested in projects to strengthen the overall mission, position, and viability of military bases in
Florida.
Governor's Fiscal Year 2004-05 Budget Recommendations
In anticipation of the upcoming 2005 BRAC process, the Bush/Jennings Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2004-05 provides $7.4 million in the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. This represents:
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| Encroachment/Environmental Issues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Northwest Florida Greenway: 100 square miles of open space stretching from the Apalachicola National Forest and waters of the Gulf of Mexico to Eglin Air Force Base, was purchased in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and The Nature Conservancy. This historic collaboration represents the most ambitious use to date of the Congressional authority provided to the U.S. Department of Defense approving partnerships with states and nonprofit conservation organizations to preserve habitat and reduce encroachment on military operations.
"This groundbreaking partnership affirms Florida's resolute commitment to the environment and our nation's military,” said Governor Bush.
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Local Government Cooperation |
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| Memorandums of Agreement between Local Governments and Military Bases: The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is assisting the Florida Defense Alliance and communities surrounding military bases with planning strategies and land acquisition to protect existing bases. The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development is also facilitating seminars with the DCA and local governments on the importance of Air Installation Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ: flight paths adjacent to military installations). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This site is best viewed in Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher with a screen resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels and a color quality of 16 bit or higher.
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. View charts in PDF format. Users are on notice that Florida's e-Budget contains budget information developed throughout the budget process, including Governor's recommendations and legislative appropriations. Florida’s e-Budget users are cautioned not to assume that the information represents the actual state budget. For example, the Governor's Budget Recommendations are merely recommendations, not the actual state budget. For more information about Florida's budget process, go to Budget Process Overview. |
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 Governor Jeb Bush, Statement on the relocation of The United States Special Operations Command South to Homestead from Puerto Rico, November 19, 2003 |
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Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. |
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“Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC),” Department of Community Affairs web site, http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/DCP/militarybase/. |
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Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. |
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“Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC),” Department of Community Affairs web site, http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/DCP/militarybase/. |
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Ibid. |
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“Governor Bush Unites Environment with Military Mission,” Department of Environmental Protection News Release, November 12, 2003. |
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“Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC),” Department of Community Affairs web site, http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/DCP/militarybase/. |
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