Staff Reports
On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott swung through Ponte Vedra to highlight military and veteran spending in the 2018-19 budget.
This was the second trip this month to the Jacksonville market to highlight military-friendly initiatives.
Scott staged the event at K9s for Warriors, which provides service dogs for veterans who suffer from PTSD and other post-combat maladies.
The nonprofit will receive state money for the first time this budget year.
Scott proposed a $178 million spend ahead of the Session, but it actually came out to $180 million, and included the following:
— More than $17 million for Florida’s military presence and families, which funds the state’s support of military research and development.
— Nearly $2.5 million to support veterans with jobs and entrepreneurship.
— $1 million for Building Homes for Heroes, for home rehab and building for injured veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
— $250,000 for K9s for Warriors to support the training of more service dogs.
Scott noted, regarding K9s for Warriors, that it’s “completely free for veterans” and is the largest provider of service dogs for them, with outreach to 46 states thus far.
The military and veteran spending was, per Scott, “money well spent.”
2 comments
K9s supporter
March 22, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Thank you for visiting our website,
I am the Founder of K9s For Warriors. We save warriors and rescue dogs. Some are veterans, some are active duty, and all are heroes and have served in the military. Our warriors all suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disability (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can be deadly disorders.
I worked as a volunteer for veterans’ charities here in Jacksonville, Florida and watched the amazing work they do to empower our returning military veterans. I saw firsthand the number of warriors returning home with an invisible disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disability, which inspired me and my family to look for ways to aid these deserving heroes.
My son, a veteran K9 police officer, worked as a contractor for the Department of the Army as a bomb dog handler. He served two tours in Iraq and returned home with PTSD. This really hit home to our family. After two years of research on canine assistance for PTSD we decided the best way we could help these deserving warriors was to start a non-profit organization to train and give service canines to assist our warriors’ efforts to return to civilian life with dignity and independence.
Service canines, properly trained, are a profound alternative for recovery from PTSD and TBI. We have been honored to serve these brave men and women that have given this country so much. There is no charge for our service; it is our duty, honor and privilege. For three weeks our warriors live at our facility where they train and learn to re-enter civilian life. We are a small charity doing huge work and making a difference. Our men and women of our military fought for our tomorrows, so we fight for theirs.
K9s supporter
March 22, 2018 at 12:09 pm
I worked as a volunteer for veterans’ charities here in Jacksonville, Florida and watched the amazing work they do to empower our returning military veterans. I saw firsthand the number of warriors returning home with an invisible disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disability, which inspired me and my family to look for ways to aid these deserving heroes.
My son, a veteran K9 police officer, worked as a contractor for the Department of the Army as a bomb dog handler. He served two tours in Iraq and returned home with PTSD. This really hit home to our family. After two years of research on canine assistance for PTSD we decided the best way we could help these deserving warriors was to start a non-profit organization to train and give service canines to assist our warriors’ efforts to return to civilian life with dignity and independence.
Service canines, properly trained, are a profound alternative for recovery from PTSD and TBI. We have been honored to serve these brave men and women that have given this country so much. There is no charge for our service; it is our duty, honor and privilege. For three weeks our warriors live at our facility where they train and learn to re-enter civilian life. We are a small charity doing huge work and making a difference. Our men and women of our military fought for our tomorrows, so we fight for theirs.
Comments are closed.