Gov. Scott proposes adding 46 counterterrorism agents in upcoming Florida budget

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced a $5.8 million plan Wednesday to add 46 counterterrorism agents to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as part of his proposed 2017-2018 budget.

“Terror is a threat to our state and nation, and we need specialists that are solely dedicated to identifying these terrorists and stopping them before they attack,” he said during a media event in Orlando Wednesday.

The 46 new agents would be stationed as squads in each of the seven FDLE regions, and will work with local, state and federal intelligence agencies, Scott said.

“38 of those will be special agent positions. One will be a special agent supervisor, and the other eight will be crime intelligence analyst’s positions,” said FDLE commissioner Rick Swearingen.

“Just last year, Florida came under attack when a terrorist, inspired by ISIS, and filled with hate, stormed into Pulse nightclub and killed 49 innocent people,” Scott said. “Following the attack, I spoke to many of the victims’ families and mourned with them at funerals.”

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The funding and new counterterrorism positions are “a critical investment in our state’s counterterrorism operations that will work to ensure that our law enforcement officers have the resources they need to curb this senseless violence,” he said.

"We live in a very difficult time, but we are going to do everything that we can to keep everybody safe," Scott said Wednesday. "It is important to me, and it's important to everybody in law enforcement, that we have the resources to do everything we can to prevent another terrorist attack."

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