Gaetz wants more base advocacy

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- State Sen. Don Gaetz is critical of how Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is handling her role as the state's advocate for the Defense Support Task Force. "I think the lieutenant governor has been hesitant to engage in effective lobbying in Washington on Eglin issues," Gaetz told the Northwest Florida Daily News. The task force was created to preserve Florida's military bases and missions in an age of Pentagon cuts. Members decided the first priority should be lobbying to prevent the Air Force from placing Eglin’s 46th Test Wing under the command of a two-star general at California's Edwards Air Force Base. They fear it's a first step toward moving the wing's research, development, test and evaluation function to California. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/06/12)