Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed confidence in the federal government's ability to protect the state's military facilities that may come under threat during the conflict with Iran while speaking at a news conference in Bradenton this week.
"We always have concern just because our military bases are always a target, just a fact," DeSantis said, noting President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach is also the subject of constant threats, including a breach in February.
Florida's military bases include MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, NAS (Naval Air Station) in Pensacola, and Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City. DeSantis emphasized that Florida would yield on the federal government's intelligence over possible threats from the regime.
“Our guys will help at the state level when they’re requested. But I would say, when you're talking about a drone possibility or something like that, the feds are gonna have the intelligence and the information on that," DeSantis said. "They are going to be the ones that are driving the interdiction and the response to that, more so than our state agencies. That’s just the way it’s always been with terrorism, particularly since 9/11."
"We are willing to help. We are willing to do if there's things we can do to help facilitate any mission, we will do it," DeSantis continued.
The Florida governor also mentioned threats from Iran are nothing new, which have included chants of "Death to America" from members of the Iranian parliament. Iranian military forces have also conducted drone strikes on U.S. military targets for years, including major escalations since the death of Major General Qassem Soleimani by U.S. forces in 2020.
"The reality is, Iran itself has had people come to the United States in the past, and they've obviously done a lot of fomenting terrorism in the Middle East, and that's going to continue. That's just who they are, that's what they believe in," DeSantis said.
