JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida National Guard troops and 
helicopters began patrolling Interstate 295 around 
Jacksonville on Friday to assure drivers that -- despite recent 
sniper attacks -- they will be safe.  
   Gov. Lawton Chiles signed an executive order Friday authorizing 
the Guard to work with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the 
Florida Highway Patrol to monitor the highway and overpasses.  
   Several dozen sniper and rock-throwing incidents have resulted 
in one death and several injuries since June.  
   The attacks prompted the American Automobile Association to warn 
motorists away from the road ringing the south and west sides of 
Jacksonville. The bypass road carries about 80,000 vehicles a day 
and is a prime highway for southbound tourists. 
   Brig. Gen. Richard Capps, assistant adjutant general for the 
Florida National Guard, said 25 to 30 men in Humvees and helicopters 
with infrared sensing capabilities would patrol the highway.