First Lady Casey DeSantis on Wednesday introduced the Continue the Mission initiative, which will recruit veterans, military spouses, and former law enforcement officers to be child protective investigators and Department of Children and Families (DCF) case managers.
This initiative is a collaborative effort led by DCF and the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs with other state partners, local veterans’ organizations, and community groups. Together, the agencies will actively recruit veterans, military spouses, and former law enforcement officers for flexible career opportunities in the child and family well-being system.
Continue the Mission will also identify candidates to serve as mentors for children in need, new case managers, and child protective investigators.
“Our veterans, military spouses, and former law enforcement officers are a group of men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving our country and keeping our communities safe,” said DeSantis. “I am excited there is a new pathway for these heroes to ‘Continue the Mission’ through rewarding career and mentorship opportunities protecting Florida’s children. We are not only helping children across the state but also helping veterans and retired law enforcement with their mental and emotional well-being who may feel as though they’ve lost their purpose once they’ve left active duty or have retired.”
The announcement comes simultaneous to the First Lady’s launch of the ‘Mamas for DeSantis,’ a political rallying group in support of her husband Gov. Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial re-election campaign.
The launch follows Gov. DeSantis’s announcement of the DeSantis Education Agenda, a parent-centered agenda that calls on school board candidates to pledge their support to the Governor’s student-first leadership to “protect parental rights in education.”
“Here in Florida, we have a true leader looking out for mamas, families, and our children: my husband, Governor Ron DeSantis. It is more important than ever for us to support him this November, and Mamas for DeSantis are fired up to do just that,” First Lady DeSantis said. “Florida mamas can count on Governor DeSantis to keep our families safe and our freedoms protected. We are a million mamas strong and we are on a mission to keep Florida free.”
Gov. DeSantis was a proponent of keeping schools open for the 2021-22 academic school year when many states fought to enforce online learning requirements, also signing a bevy of legislative actions, including the Parental Bill of Rights that prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in K-3 classrooms, and after 3rd grade.
The bill additionally mandates that at the beginning of every school year, parents will be notified about healthcare services offered at the school, with the right to decline any service offered, as well as a requirement that whenever a questionnaire or health screening is given to K-3 students, parents receive it first and provide permission for the school to administer the questionnaire or health screening to their child.
“I am proud to have Casey by my side, and I am grateful for the example she sets for our three children. And now, I am excited to work alongside her as we launch the biggest parental rights movement in history,” Governor DeSantis said. “We are working every day to make Florida the most pro-parent state in the nation, and Mamas for DeSantis gives a voice to mothers across the state.”