The Florida Division of Emergency Management spent another $45.3 million for immigration enforcement-related costs, bringing the total for the year to nearly $460 million.
According to Transparency Florida, a government accountability website through the executive office of the governor, FDEM filed a budget amendment May 6 notifying the Legislature it was spending $45.3 million out of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund to pay off invoices for the 2025-2026 year.
In total, FDEM has spent $458.5 million in emergency funds on illegal immigration enforcement in the past year.
The division was blocked from spending money from the fund on any new contracts after Feb. 17, when the Legislature failed to renew its authorization, but the state can still use funds to pay off any invoices before the expiration date.
The records didn’t detail how the money was spent, other than noting it was for “illegal migration.”
FDEM officials did not respond to emails or a phone call requesting comment.
The fund was created in 2022 to handle hurricane preparation and response and other natural disasters, allowing Gov. Ron DeSantis to quickly dispense money during states of emergency.
Since 2022, the lawmakers have deposited $4.77 billion into the fund. As of a few weeks ago, the fund balance was $199 million.
DeSantis first issued a state of emergency about illegal immigration in January 2023 and has renewed it every 60 days – more than 20 times – since.
In the past year, hundreds of millions of dollars from the emergency fund has been spent on illegal immigration enforcement.
Lawmakers eventually passed a bill (SB 7040) to resurrect the emergency fund, but it imposes new rules on how the money can be spent. Emergencies that are not natural disasters would need to have spending approved by the chair and vice-chair of the Legislative Budget Commission.
Also, if the federal government reimburses the state for any spending, the money would be set aside to pay for outstanding invoices from vendors. And money in the fund can’t be used to buy aircraft, motor vehicles or boats, but they could be leased to respond to an emergency.
The bill passed the Legislature but hasn’t been sent to DeSantis’ desk, leaving the fund in limbo still.
An FDEM report in January showed Florida has spent $573 million on illegal immigration enforcement since the emergency declaration. That includes the creation of Alligator Alcatraz and Deportation Depot, two state-run immigration detention facilities in the south and north of Florida, respectively.
The federal government has approved $608 million to reimburse Florida for immigration enforcement efforts, but that money has yet to be sent to the state.
The question of who was paying for the site was a flashpoint in the court battle over Alligator Alcatraz, where environmental advocacy groups argued Florida should have complied with federal environmental rules before building the detention center if federal funds were used.
But a federal appeals court last month allowed the detention facility in the Everglades to stay open, noting there wasn’t enough federal oversight or any federal funds to comply with environmental rules.
DeSantis on Monday emphasized Alligator Alcatraz “was built to be temporary. We did not want to build a permanent facility at that airport,” he told reporters in Fort Myers.
In response to a report from the New York Times last week that his administration had held talks with federal officials about closing down the facility, DeSantis confirmed discussions, but he also insisted Alligator Alcatraz will remain in place until the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t need help housing undocumented immigrants.
“If they stop sending (undocumented immigrants) to us then we obviously would break it down,” DeSantis said. “But that’s going to be a decision that they’re going to have to make.”
–Ana Goñi-Lessan, News Service of Florida
Ed Danko, former Vice-Mayor, PC says
This is the price we have to pay thanks to the Biden administration’s blatant failure to enforce our boarders. Bleeding heart liberal Democrats created this problem by ignoring our laws and inviting illegal aliens to come here. Now, Florida taxpayers are absorbing the cost.
Skibum says
Total, unadulterated BS! But we would expect no less from the likes of you. Just ask FL residents and business owners if it was appropriate and ethical for the governor to order his officials to deplete nearly a half billion dollars in just the last year from the funds earmarked for “hurricane preparation and response and other natural disasters”.
This state obviously has a critical need for the funds that were set aside to be used by state emergency management officials. Nobody in state government has ever, or could honestly ever stand before FL residents and try to justify stealing this taxpayer money and fraudulently appropriating it for the governor’s unhinged and corrupt immigration purge just to please one specific man the governor has crossed all of his fingers and toes hoping he will be granted a federal job soon because he will be unemployed!
But YOU go ahead and attempt to put your ridiculous maga spin on this just like you do with every issue. We all see your skewed, dishonest bent that completely disregards reality. And that is exactly why you have become irrelevant and no longer serving the public, even in this ultra-republican controlled city and county.
Sherry says
Thank you Skibum!
Chris says
This is the reason why you are the FORMER vise- mayor ! Thank God your out for good !
Marek says
Great news before the hurricane season!
TR says
If it wouldn’t have been for the last administrations securing of the border we would have to deal with this now. So Thanks a lot Potato Joe and Cackling (drop the ball and do nothing) Kamala. The only job she had and didn’t even come close to securing the border. In fact she did the exact opposite. She took the hinges off the doors and open it wide. Yea, and she wanted to be President, and is now talking about running again. LOL
Sherry says
@tr. . . Please post actual credentialed facts and evidence to prove your hate filled ridiculous claims, or we will all continue to know that all you can do is post Fox BS talking points. Thanks!
PaulT says
Am I naive, I can’t understand how my Republican neighbors are completely OK or at least silent about RonDeSantis’ unauthorized spending (to my mind squandering) over $ 400 million of Florida’s emergency management funds.
Why are they so outraged at the thought of allowing a single undocumented immigrants to remain in this country?.
Have any of them actually lost a job to an undocumented immigrant? Has their ambition of a job at sub minimum wage as a fruit picker or meat packer or hotel housekeeper been thwarted, taken from them by an immigrant? I doubt that very much. More likely their brains have been saturated with partisan innuendo from Fox and Nesmax and OANN, saturated by the bigoted talk radio hosts who profit from stirring up the hatred level of our un-intelligentsia as do this generation of Repblican politicians and their fear mongering leader.
This anti-immigrant fervour Trump has invented isn’t about reality, it’s to distract us attention from a far starker reality. The current government is hell bent on destroying the middle class and squeezing the working class to fill the pockets of millionaire CEOs and billionaire employers.
And in the case of both DeSantis and Trump to squander money on no-bid contractors, at our expense.
Laurel says
It isn’t about immigration at all, it’s about controlling the masses for the greedy and power hungry. Much of the Big Beautiful Bill doesn’t kick in until after the midterms, whereas if the Republicans win (by gerrymander rigging the election) then it’s just too late for the constituents when these voters see the light. If the Democrats win, the Republicans will blame them for the bill’s actions.
Did you notice that the people here, blame former administrations, after a year and half Trump has been in office (and he has been in twice, so make that five and a half years of Trump rule) had no real facts to back their comments? Instead, it’s about “potato head” and “cackling.” Two very unimportant observations that have nothing to do with anything.
Corruption has become widespread, and democracy is in peril, but those who’s hearts are filled with hate, and the minds that are filled with fear and bigotry, continue to make excuses for the corrupted and incompetent. It is a playbook that has been repeated throughout history. As you can see, one local, past politician continues to preach division.
Regardless, get out and vote when the time comes. It’s very important.
Dennis C Rathsam says
All this wasted money … thank the the Biden / Harris open boarder policy. Border Czar Harris looked ya,LL in the eye on 60 minutes & stated the border was closed. Kamala the gift that keeps on giving.
Deborah Coffey says
Look who you put in office? He’s stealing you blind. Immigrants pay taxes and buy stuff.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/doj-considers-settling-trump-irs-040759004.html
feddy says
The Democrats should of ran a better candidate.
Sherry says
Hey feddy. . . check out the cool video Laurel posted. . . Regrets? Yes, Maga should have very many! You just can’t continue to blame absolutely every failure on the past. . . It’s all Hillary, Obama, Biden, Harris, Democrat’s fault! LOL! LOL! LOL! You’ve been DUPED! Complete Maga FOOLS!
Pogo says
Ron, think of all the white rubber boots that would have purchased; timing is everything.
Laurel says
Sherry says
Priceless Laurel! Thanks!