DeSantis administration misses legislative deadline gets more money for immigration anyway

Florida's Joint Legislative Budget Commission voted along party lines to approve a $240 million transfer and up to $250 million in spending authority for the state's Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, covering both immigration enforcement and hurricane recovery. The vote came about an hour after the DeSantis administration finally submitted a spending report that had been due to the Legislature two months earlier, in July.

DEM Director Jared Perdue, appointed by DeSantis and already earning $298,000 as transportation secretary, declined to answer reporters' questions at the meeting. The report shows Florida still owes $603 million on immigration enforcement contracts and projects a $1.5 billion deficit in the fund by mid-2027 absent more money from the Legislature.

Democrats including Sen. Lori Berman and Rep. Allison Tant objected to approving spending based on a report the commission had barely had time to read, with Tant noting hurricane-battered constituents in her district have gone without the attention given to immigration enforcement. Outgoing Senate budget chair Ed Hooper downplayed concerns about the deficit, saying the state has 'significant reserves.'

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