The three Fort Myers City Council members who voted against ICE training with Fort Myers Police Department officers are facing heat today and could potentially lose their seats in office over it while the state attorney general investigates.
Terolyn Watson, Darla Bonk, and Diana Giraldo are the three who voted against FMPD officers training with ICE agents last night, with Bonk even tearing up over it.
"This was a tool to help our officers enhance the level of public safety, and now we've prevented them from putting that tool in the toolbox, and I also think we've done a disservice because we could be putting hundreds of millions of dollars of grant money at risk and we also put the city in the position where we're in violation of state law," said Mayor Kevin Anderson of Fort Myers.
"I believe the governor could remove those who voted against it, and he has said so in the past that he would," Anderson added.
Governor DeSantis said today on X, "Florida will ensure its laws are followed when it comes to immigration, the days of inaction are over, govern yourselves accordingly."
Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office is investigating, and congressman Byron Donalds called on the council members to be removed.
On Tuesday, Uthmeier posted a letter on X addressed to the Fort Myers City Council telling them to "Fix this problem or face the consequences."
Mayor Anderson said he has received mass calls, emails, and Facebook posts from people upset over the decision.
Anderson plans to try to hold an emergency meeting to bring this topic back up before the next scheduled meeting in April.
The three council members who voted against the measure have not commented.