|
Region Review: The Florida Region
The Florida region consists of the State of Florida and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. There are currently 15 chapters in Florida and
none in Puerto Rico. As of February 28, 2009, the total AFA membership for the Region was 10,143. The four largest chapters in the
Region with over 1,000 member each are the Central Florida Chapter (Orlando), the Eglin Chapter (Ft. Walton Beach), the Jerry Waterman
Chapter (Tampa), and the Cape Canaveral Chapter.
The Region supports major Air Force installations at MacDill AFB, Patrick AFB, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, Homestead ARB, and Tyndall AFB.
Other significant Air Force installations include the Cape Canaveral AFS, Avon Park Air Force Range, the Air Force Agency for Modeling &
Simulation, and Florida Air Guard Headquarters in St. Augustine. The chapters within the region support six senior Air Force ROTC
detachments, 75 AFJROTC units (including three in Georgia) and 95 Civil Air Patrol Squadrons. One of the annual Region highlights is the
AFA Florida Air Force Junior ROTC Drill Meeting sponsored in the spring by the Florida State organization. This year, 33 teams from 16
AFJROTC units from around Florida (below) met in Orlando.
The Florida Region prides itself on its work supporting Aerospace Education (AE). There are three major Teachers’ Workshops (below)
held around the Region. Also, Scholarship Opportunity Briefings are held between AF Academy Cadets, AFROTC Cadets and rising High School
Sophomores/Juniors to explain the requirements and challenges of AF higher education opportunities. The chapters in the Region have very
active Teacher of the Year programs. And the State of Florida has been honored to have been the home to five AFA National Teachers of the
Year. Over 100 Visions of Exploration classrooms are sponsored around the Region. The Region feels that AE is vital to the nation’s
future. That’s why in 2007 the Region contributed over $162,000 to continue this effort.
The Region plays host to one of AFA’s major annual events: The Air Warfare Symposium. Held every February in Orlando, this event included
speeches from the senior leadership of the Air Force usually including the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff. It also
included one of the largest Aerospace Exhibitions held in the US.
The Florida Region pushes forward. We have been fortunate to have some of the best leaders in AFA including Marty Harris, Bob Patterson,
Richard Ortega, Dave Cummock, Tommy Harrison, Ray Turczynski and Sandy Schlitt, to name but a few. Under their guidance and with our new,
upcoming leaders we will continue to fulfill our motto to do “the work of freedom.”
|
