Gov. Jeb Bush and young Floridians take pride in,
and recognize, our men and women in uniform.
Friday, May 31, 2002
The Tampa Tribune
A Much Deserved "Thank You" For Keeping Florida Safe and Economically Sound
Posted on 05/31/2002 4:27:59 PM PDT by summer
Gov. Jeb Bush and young Floridians take pride in,
and recognize, our men and women in uniform.
Friday, May 31, 2002
The Tampa Tribune
A Much Deserved "Thank You" For Keeping Florida Safe and Economically Sound
By Jeb Bush
As we celebrate National Military Appreciation Month, it is important for all Floridians to take pride in and recognize those men and women in uniform who have served our country in the past and those who continue to do so today - especially as our armed forces are actively deployed in support of our war on terrorism.
During this time of national recognition, I urge all Floridians to pay homage to the enormous responsibility that our military personnel now shoulder as they fight to defend our freedom and liberty. To our respected military, please know that the thoughts and prayers of all the citizens of the great Sunshine State are with you and your families.
Florida is home to 21 military installations in 13 counties and three unified commands that together employ more than 115,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. Fifty-two of Florida's 67 counties are home to defense contractors, contributing $7 billion annually and tens of thousands of jobs to our economy. Military retirees provide an additional $3 billion annual boost. Combined, the military, its retirees and defense-related industries have a $30 billion annual impact on Florida's economy. Our military both bolsters Florida's prosperity and protects our way of life. In return, at a minimum, we must do all we can to serve as the ideal hosts to those installations that call Florida home.
Now more than ever, it is vital for Florida's host communities and local governments to ensure proactive outreach to their resident military bases. I urge residents of these communities to be patient with installations as they handle force protection measures - which occasionally can cause public inconvenience. I also urge communities to keep in mind their host installations when moving forward with private-sector developments.
The president and Congress have approved a round of base closures for 2005, and a major factor in the review will be "encroachment" - nonmilitary developments around a base impeding its intended mission. The importance of keeping Florida's military bases and their $30 billion annual economic impact strong and less vulnerable to downsizing or base closure is a priority of my administration. Encroachment of our military bases and airfields continues to be a major concern and one that we all must address and make a top priority as a preventive measure against our installations being a statistic in the base realignment decision-making process.
Florida's partnership with America's armed forces dates back generations and will only grow stronger in the years ahead as we work together to ensure the same. Please join me in thanking our troops and the installations from which they hail for all that they do every day to keep Florida safe and economically sound.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
God Bless our troops!
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