A former Florida National Guard leader said state military units could play a crucial role in Venezuela following the dramatic U.S. military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power.

A second woman has been arrested and accused of abusing her power as a cadre or supervisor to have a romantic relationship with a 16-year-old girl while working at Florida Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Blanding in Starke.

Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis’ administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention center, awarding at least one contract for what’s labeled in state records as the “North Detention Facility.”.

Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed using Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard’s headquarters in Clay County, as a potential site for a new immigration detention facility — an idea that has sparked mixed reactions among local residents.

A 38-year-old man and member of the Florida National Guard from Keystone Heights died Friday morning after he was hit by a car on Avenue B on Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard confirmed.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office got more than a dozen calls on Saturday after an apparent sonic boom from low-flying jets shocked residents and caused damage ranging from items falling off walls to broken glass.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Jacksonville on Thursday morning and spoke about what he called the urgent need to secure the southern border to prevent illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said Florida “stands ready” and will send Florida National Guard troops and law-enforcement officers to Texas to help with border control as he nears an expected announcement of a White House bid.

The third proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that the Florida Legislature voted to place on the ballot this November this year would increase the homestead exemption for teachers, law-enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child-welfare services professionals and active-duty members of the military and Florida National Guard.

Pay hikes, shorter shifts and shuttering facilities are some of the strategies Florida has employed to try to rehabilitate a prison system that leaders have said is in crisis.

A legislative panel will consider a plan to activate the Florida national guard to help short-staffed prisons.

A group of 25 Florida National Guard soldiers will make for the horn of Africa early Friday morning as part of the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade.

The Florida National Guard troops ordered out of Ukraine over the weekend are now in Germany.

The chief of the National Guard has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from an overseas trip to visit guard troops in Europe for Thanksgiving.

About 100 members of the Florida National Guard returned home Wednesday to their loved ones as the 202nd Red Horse Squadron flew in to Jacksonville International Airport.

Just ask the 40 Florida National Guard members who were celebrated Thursday night during a deployment ceremony at Cecil Airport. Detachment 4, B Company, of the 351st Aviation Support Battalion, will be deployed for about nine months. After 23 years in the military, Chief Rob Lyman said what’s next -- the preparation at Ft. “I think they’re going to have a very eye-opening experience. Then, they will provide aviation, ground field maintenance and resupply support to aviation battalions.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Additional help is on the way to assist with COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Sixty additional airmen from Florida’s Air National Guard were activated for duty Monday. Since March, more than 2,300 Florida National Guard members have helped in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty National Guard members have been stationed at the Regency Square Mall testing site since doses of the vaccine started being administered there. According to the 125th Fighter Wing, of the 60 airmen from the 125th Fighter Wing activated Monday, 40 will go out into communities and help with getting people signed up for vaccine appointments while the other 20 will replace the guardsmen currently at the Regency Square Mall.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health on Monday reported 5,730 new cases of the coronavirus. It was the smallest one-day increase statewide since Nov. 16 when 4,663 cases were reported. Duval County has recorded 82,216 total cases during that time, including 289 cases that were reported Monday. AdThe statewide positivity rate based on Sunday’s testing was 8.39%, the health department said Monday. Health department data released Monday showed that 1,707,692 people in Florida have received at least one shot of two COVID-19 vaccines approved by the federal government.

Four games were postponed because of players testing positive or quarantining under the COVID-19 protocol. DePaul’s previously postponed game at St. John’s on Jan. 2 has been rescheduled for Feb. 20. Major League Baseball last week proposed a one-month delay in starting spring training due to the coronavirus pandemic. ___The Cleveland Indians will not be allowing fans to watch their spring training workouts in Arizona due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AdThere has not yet been a decision on whether fans will be able to attend spring training games.

Additional security precautions remain in effect and will continue at least through Wednesday’s Presidential Inauguration. “If you pose a threat to public safety, we will come for you. On Sunday, Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey praised the Governor for sending national guardsmen to protect the Capitol. “I know that he cares for the safety of Tallahassee and the Capitol Complex as much as I do as well,” said Dailey. According to the City of Tallahassee, no one has requested a permit to demonstrate on Inauguration Day.

Ron DeSantis on Friday evening activated the Florida National Guard to assist state and local law enforcement agencies, following FBI warnings of potentially violent protests in state capitals this weekend in advance of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The governor’s executive order mobilizing the guard was issued “in response to reports of potential civil unrest,” DeSantis’ office said in a press release. It also came as authorities in Washington, D.C., Tallahassee and other state capitals prepare for potential protests this weekend or early next week. Local officials on Thursday ordered Tallahassee City Hall and the Leon County Courthouse, which are each across the street from the state Capitol, to close Tuesday and Wednesday in anticipation of possible protests. Asking DeSantis to mobilize troops in Tallahassee, Dailey on Friday pointed to National Guard members who will be in Washington to help with the inauguration.

Maj. Gen. James Eifert, adjutant general of Florida, received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week. Members of the Florida National Guard who are fighting on the frontline against COVID-19 have started getting vaccinated against the virus. National Guard members have been assisting with the state’s response to the pandemic, which includes administering tests at state-run testing sites throughout Florida. Those members are being prioritized to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Blanding after the first shipment of more than a thousand doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived last week. Maj. Gen. James Eifert, adjutant general of Florida, recovered from the coronavirus in October.

Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said 500 members of the Florida National Guard were en route to Washington, D.C to assist during the police-brutality protests that have gripped the nations capital. Maj. Caitlin Brown, a spokeswoman for the Florida National Guard, said the guard members will assist local law enforcement efforts in response to the protests, but their exact mission has not been determined. They will be attached to a task force being led by the D.C. National Guard. DeSantis has activated up to 700 members of the National Guard since Saturday when protests began to flare in various parts of Florida. The Florida National Guard has not been requested by any other cities in Florida, but are ready if needed, she told The News Service of Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - More than 40 airmen and six F-15 fighter jets returned home to Jacksonville on Friday afternoon from deployment. WATCH: Florida National Guard aviators return home"So happy to be home. It's awesome coming back to Florida, coming back to Jacksonville and feeling welcomed by the city," said one airman, who returned from his third deployment and was greeted by his wife and two young daughters. The airmen shared the spotlight with their spouses, who are also sacrificing and holding down the homefront the best way they know how. The 125th Fighter Wing, which has been part of the Northeast Florida community since 1947, currently has more than 1,600 airmen assigned to 23 units operating across five separate geographic locations.

Ron DeSantis declaring a state of emergency in Florida, the Florida National Guard on Sunday said more than 4,400 soldiers and airmen had been activated to help before, during and after Hurricane Dorian. Alden Morrow, a full-time supervisor at the Florida National Guard, said Thursday. Troy Eastman, who is in charge of the Florida National Guard's search-and-rescue operations for Dorian, said Thursday. News4Jax saw the search-and-rescue teams' lifesaving work firsthand in Mexico Beach and Panama City last year after Hurricane Michael. PREVIOUS STORY: National Guard teams, local first responders train together to save livesNow, the leaders are pleased the drills were so thorough and strenuous.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - More than 200 Florida Guardsmen deployed Thursday morning for a four-month mission in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The 230 members of the Florida National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing had already said goodbye to their families before the send-off event from Pecan Park Drive. "We will just keep it to the Middle East, today, is where they are going," said Col. Paul Reedy, commander of the 125th Fighter Wing. "Primarily, our aircraft that we have at the 125th Fighter Wing is a defensive aircraft, so we are primarily there to protect our Airmen and partners in the region." The 125th Fighter Wing has been part of Northeast Florida since 1947.