TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — In response to threats during Inauguration week, Gov. DeSantis signed an executive order Friday night activating Florida National Guard troops to protect the Florida Capitol.
The troops will be in place by Sunday, M. Caitlin Brown, Lt. Col., Director of Public Affairs for the Florida National Guard confirmed to ABC 27 Saturday.
"[The troops] will stay as long as they are needed and directed by the Governor, and will work in support of local law enforcement," said Lt. Col. Brown.
Lt. Col. Brown said that they could not share some details of their role due to operational security concerns, including troops numbers, movements, or specific capabilities or tactics.
DeSantis' announcement came hours after Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey held a news conference Friday publicly calling on the governor to increase security.
Saturday, Mayor Dailey praised Governor DeSantis for his quick response and thanked law enforcement.
"I hope that we have a boring weekend in Tallahassee," said Dailey. "But hope is not a plan as I said yesterday. But we do have plans. We have the most incredible men and women of law enforcement that have been working around the clock to gather intelligence, but to also to put a plan together to keep the capitol complex and to keep Tallahassee safe."
The Tallahassee Police Department told ABC 27 although it cannot say specifically which agencies are working together to keep the capitol safe, many are in the capital city from across the state.
