Weeks after accusations were made against the Florida State Guard’s top leader, more members of the volunteer force are stepping down.

In January, former members accused Director Mark Thieme of misspending taxpayer dollars and using state aircraft for flight hours and related resources to further obtain a private pilot’s license, among others. A civil complaint has since been filed against Thieme by a former commander.

Matt Sweet, a former chief pilot, was among the latest to officially resign. While he believes in the mission on the Florida State Guard, describing it as a force made up of experienced and competent volunteers committed to helping Floridians during emergencies.

However, he said is not in alignment with the execution of the organization from its top leader.

“We were really becoming a true force for the state of Florida and now we’re starting to see some diminished returns and that’s from one reason and one reason only,” Sweet said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis revived the state-supported volunteer force in 2022 to provide rapid emergency responses. Many of its members and volunteers have decorated military backgrounds.

The force has played a pivotal role in supporting communities during disasters, including hurricane response efforts across the state. From an aviation standpoint, Sweet said he believes the force’s safety posture could be affected without proper investigation or intervention into concerns that others have raised.

Sweet, a military veteran with more than 30 years of experience serving the United States Army and the National Guard, said his concerns include unilateral decision-making at the top without inclusion of senior staff and treatment of volunteers, among other programs that must be addressed.

“I’m not in alignment with the execution of the organization from a senior leadership perspective,” Sweet said. “You’re talking the most senior folks in the organization just getting shut down because one person wants to do it his way and not listen to their senior staff. You cannot survive if you don’t listen to your senior staff.”

10 Tampa Bay News has reached out to the governor’s office multiple times for comment. The Orlando Sentinel reports the House Speaker’s Office confirmed via email that members were “aware of the allegations, and we are looking into the matter.”