Florida Army National Guard troops were supposed to be pulling in and out of their brand new, state-of-the-art training facility at the Flagler County airport by now.

But they're not.

That 80,000-square-foot facility, a $21 million Armed Forces Reserve Center, is still at the top of the funding priority list for Florida's National Guard, but getting that money from Washington, D.C., has been tough.

The current lease in Daytona Beach is up, and that city wants the land while the National Guard wants a site big enough to meet its needs.

The National Guard kind of surprised everyone in Flagler County about nine months ago, however, when they asked about the availability the former site of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Commercial Airline Pilot Training program at the Flagler County Airport.

Roy Sieger, director of the Flagler County Airport, has gently been pushing that building.

With the county on the cusp of signing a long-term lease with the National Guard, Sieger couldn't be happier.

"This airport is an enterprise fund," he said. “And so, when things aren't rented, we're losing income. So, this is excellent for the airport ... that it will be a constant revenue generator and it's going to be a good tenant. You know, it's not like the Army National Guard's not going to pay their bills."

The facility will be used for a training unit and to store military vehicles.

The best part, county officials say, is the National Guard is still committed to the site at the other side of the airport, which the county is already preparing in hopes of streamlining construction when Congress finally releases funds for the facility.

Flagler County Commission Chairman George Hanns, a U.S. Army veteran, said having the National Guard is a great economic boost.

"We live in Florida," Hanns said. "We're subject to storms and hurricanes. We have at our disposal an immediate supply of security for our area."

Flagler County commissioners are expected to sign off on the agreement with the Department of Military Affairs on Wednesday.

If the county agrees to the proposal — which is expected — it will go to the Department of Military Affairs Armory Board, which meets Aug. 16.