‘A different type of Washington.’ FL National Guard, police protect DC for inauguration.

The nation’s capital is usually filled with police and military before Inauguration Day to ensure the safety of millions of visitors descending on Washington, D.C., to watch a new president assume office.

But Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration, which will take place amid a pandemic and two weeks after a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, will have an even larger security presence. The National Guard has sent about 25,000 troops to Washington, including 600 from Florida. Local police departments from Miami-Dade County also sent about 100 officers.

The National Guard initially set up inside the U.S. Capitol, where soldiers slept on floors while lawmakers voted last week to impeach outgoing President Donald Trump for a second time. Now, the soldiers have cots or are staying in hotels while protecting the Capitol, White House, National Mall and monuments in 24-hour shifts.

“We have a tangible goal to ensure the democratic process can continue,” said Private First Class Josue Fernandez Pineiro, a 20-year-old from Apopka.

Pineiro and other Florida National Guard troops have been stationed in Washington since last week, assigned to Task Force Freedom, a joint effort between the Secret Service, FBI, local law enforcement and the military. The Florida soldiers, who are split up into company-sized groups of 60 to 200 troops, are assigned to protect specific areas around Washington.

“We’re acting in support of Secret Service and the Capitol Police, providing crowd support and acting as a reserve force,” said Lieutenant James Lanza, a public affairs officer with the Florida National Guard. “If there is a crowd, then we anticipate we will be called by Capitol Police. We are going to be on the [National] Mall, which is already blocked off to the majority of people.”

Lanza, along with police officers from Coral Gables who traveled to Washington on Monday, wouldn’t offer details for their Inauguration Day assignment, citing security concerns. It’s unclear if major crowds will gather in Washington during Biden’s inauguration, though Mayor Muriel Bowser has encouraged people to stay away. Public transportation and highways into the city near the National Mall are mostly blocked by troops.

It will be close to impossible for crowds to gather near Biden’s speech from the west front of the Capitol or along Pennsylvania Avenue. Both areas are blocked for vehicles and most pedestrian traffic, and fences were put up to block off most of downtown Washington from people without proper credentials.

Coral Gables Police Sgt. Addy Villanueva was one of 25 officers from the department who were sworn in as temporary deputies alongside hundreds of other officers at the Washington Convention Center on Tuesday morning.

“When we arrived in uniform, it was overwhelming because you don’t see so many police officers from so many parts of the country in one place at one time for one thing,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva said the Coral Gables’ contingent of 25 officers was expected to help provide security at the inauguration before the Jan. 6 riot. In addition to the Coral Gables group, other police departments with officers in Washington this week include Florida International University’s department, Miami-Dade County’s and Miami Beach’s.

“From someone who has been here several times, it is a different type of Washington,” Villanueva said. “Going to the convention center to get deputized by the Secret Service it was almost eerie, the lack of people, the lack of vehicles and the presence of the National Guard, which is wonderful. We saw them on pretty much every street corner.”

It’s typical for Florida to send some National Guard troops to Washington for the inauguration every four years. Lanza said for the 2013 and 2017 inaugurations, they sent about 300 soldiers, about half of the 2021 contingent.

Lanza also said Tuesday that no Florida National Guard troops had been dismissed from inauguration duty due to far-right extremist ties. The FBI announced last week that all National Guard troops would be vetted amid concerns of a second insurrection during the transfer of power. A dozen National Guard members have been removed from inauguration duty as vetting continues, according to the Washington Post, with at least two dismissed for ties to anti-government groups.

“No Florida Guardsmen have been relieved from duty due to any extremist ties,” Lanza said.

Private First Class Anny Polanco, an 18-year-old from Tampa and an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who is on her first National Guard deployment, said she’s part of a mission to “protect the Constitution.”

“It wasn’t an abnormal sight to see all the security guards and police officers but it was kind of disheartening to see why so many people were gathered together,” Polanco said. “I hope it is a peaceful transition of power.”