PBA former CIA intelligence officer and LeMieux center Michele Rigby Assad, warns of intelligence threats.

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A former CIA intelligence officer has warned that spying by China is "happening in Florida" with state aerospace, data and engineering businesses listed as prime targets - as well as President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.

Michele Rigby Assad, who served five CIA tours in the Middle East and now offers corporate security advice, said she has reached out to law enforcement agencies across the state to alert them. She issued the warning during a talk at Palm Beach Atlantic University on April 10 and in a subsequent interview with The Palm Beach Post.

"We've been trying to get law enforcement in Florida to wake up to the fact that the Chinese are super aggressive," she said during an appearance with former Florida U.S. Sen. George LeMieux as part of the LeMieux Center's Annual Speaker Series at PBAU. "They are around, and they are working here in Florida."

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