Florida House moves to block emergency fund use for immigration enforcement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —

Florida lawmakers are fighting over how the state's emergency fund should be used.

Since 2022, the legislature has put nearly $4.8 billion into the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, which was created to respond to hurricanes and other disasters.

In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis began using some of the funds for immigration enforcement and to rescue Floridians from places like Israel and Haiti after he declared an immigration emergency.

State records show Florida has spent more than $573 million on immigration-related efforts, including setting up two detention centers known as Alligator Alcatraz and Deportation Depot and buying items such as helicopter engines, cargo vans and trailers.

Now, the Florida House wants to stop that. A new bill would block the governor from using the emergency fund for immigration enforcement and ban spending on aircraft, boats and vehicles. It would also require a detailed report of how disaster money is spent.

The Senate has passed its own version of the bill, but it does not include those limits and would extend the fund only through 2027. The House plan would extend the fund through 2030.

Lawmakers must reach an agreement soon, as the fund is set to expire at midnight.

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