DeSantis Approves $90 Million in Immigration Enforcement Grants

Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, acting as the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, unanimously approved approximately $90 million in grants for 56 local law enforcement agencies on June 9 in Tallahassee. The funding is drawn from a $250 million state allocation established in 2025 to reimburse agencies for equipment and operations related to illegal immigration enforcement.

Following a review process where Executive Director Anthony Coker approved all requests, the board granted funds for various technologies and hardware. Notable allocations include $14.2 million for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and $10 million each for Orange and Polk counties. Approved equipment spans encrypted radios, body cameras, riot gear, DNA testing systems, and AI-driven policing software from companies such as Axon and Peregrine.

The board also extended an emergency rule allowing agencies with agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to receive reimbursements for multi-passenger transport vans. While the board has now approved over $147 million in total requests since the program's inception, nearly $5 million has been disbursed to date.