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Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a law requiring stricter background checks for State Guardsmen

Gov. Ron DeSantis unveils the Florida State Guard
Photo Courtesy of Governor's Media Page
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https://flgov.smugmug.com/
Gov. Ron DeSantis unveils the Florida State Guard

Florida State Guard applicants will have to undergo a level 2 background check

Floridians looking to join the state’s volunteer military force will have to undergo more rigorous background checks.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on the new law Friday.

“Background checks normally just require social security number," said state Rep. Mike Giallombardo, R-Cape Coral, who sponsored the measure.

Under the provision, Florida State Guard applicants will have to submit fingerprints to both the state and federal government.

"This actually allows you to do fingerprints," said Giallombardo. "It [the measure] triggers a higher level FBI background check."

The law comes as DeSantis has deployed more than 130 guardsmen to Texas and the Florida Keys amid border safety concerns involving undocumented immigrants.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.