Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet next week will consider approximately $90 million in grants for local law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
The money will go toward a fire suppression system for a server room in Escambia County, handguns for Santa Rosa County, drones for Alachua County and “official police” patches for uniformed officers with the Auburndale Police Department.
DeSantis and the Cabinet – Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson – comprise the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, which will consider the grant requests at its meeting Tuesday.
The board this year has already disbursed almost $5 million in funds to 25 local law enforcement agencies, according to Transparency Florida, a state website that tracks government spending.
Lawmakers in 2025 set aside $250 million to reimburse local law enforcement for purchases related to illegal immigration enforcement, including overtime for officers who participate in operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Out of the $90 million in grants in this round of requests, $30.3 million are new awards and $57 million are additional funds for law enforcement agencies that had already asked for assistance.
The most expensive request is from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which is asking for $10 million for equipment. According to the budget request, $9 million of that is going to 910 portable radios.
Since the state began ramping up its illegal immigration enforcement in 2025, the Orange County Jail has been used to house immigrants from across the state who have been detained on federal immigration charges, a civil offense.
But federal reimbursements for bed space do not cover the actual price of housing someone on an ICE hold. Earlier this week, to decrease costs, the Orange County Commission recently approved a new agreement with the jail that prevents ICE from housing detainees unless they also have a criminal charge.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the second highest amount of funds in its proposal – a little over $8 million. About $5 million of the money will be used for communication equipment, including radios. Notably, the county is asking for $600,000 for two Skywatch mobile towers to “enhance situation awareness and support immigration enforcement operations.”
The sheriff’s office in Liberty County, a rural county in the panhandle, wants $647,809 for riot gear suits, car laptops and a LessLethal Launcher System with aerial flashbangs and muzzle blasts.
“These tools provide deputies with distance‑based, less‑lethal options for gaining compliance during high‑risk apprehensions, coordinated enforcement actions, or incidents involving multiple non‑compliant individuals,” the proposal says. “Because immigration‑related encounters may involve fearful, resistant, or group‑based situations, having a range of proportional, less‑lethal tools supports de‑escalation, reduces the likelihood of serious injury, and helps resolve volatile situations safely.”
In the amended proposals, some law enforcement agencies have increased their requests by millions of dollars.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office originally asked for about $649,000 but now wants an additional $8 million for equipment.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office also resubmitted their request for $4.4 million more to purchase a camera system, spotlight, night vision goggles and pilot protective equipment for helicopter use.
In its proposal, the sheriff’s office said it expanded its detention facility and opened up two new housing blocks, with 21% of its total bed space now designated for undocumented immigrant inmates.
The additional operational housing units require the purchase of automatic chest compression units, defibrillators, televisions for ICE hearing and conference rooms and modular privacy booths for attorney-client privilege, and exercise equipment.
“Providing adequate exercise resources also assist in reducing inmate idleness, negative behaviors, and detention operational disruptions directly contributing to safer and more efficient detention operations for both staff and detainees,” the proposal says.
All of the requests have been approved by the board’s Executive Director Anthony Coker. The board will meet June 9.
–Ana Goñi-Lessan, News Service of Florida
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