Reporter: Haley Jacobs
•7/23/2026
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Nearly $9 million in state reimbursement funding is headed to four Southwest Florida law enforcement agencies to help offset the costs of immigration enforcement efforts.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia presented reimbursement checks Thursday in Naples to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Arcadia Police Department, Hendry County Sheriff's Office, and Naples Police Department.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office received the largest reimbursement at $8,250,733.55. The Arcadia Police Department received $377,185.67, the Hendry County Sheriff's Office received $85,067, and the Naples Police Department received $74,326.86.
Ingoglia said the reimbursement funding is intended to support local law enforcement agencies that are taking on additional immigration enforcement responsibilities alongside state and federal partners.
"It's only right that if we ask you to do more of the work, that we have the funding there for it," Ingoglia said.
The funds can be used to reimburse agencies for equipment and resources, including body cameras, radios, rapid DNA systems, transport vehicles, bulletproof vests, and bonus payments for officers certified under the federal 287(g) program. Ingoglia said those resources not only support immigration enforcement efforts but also strengthen everyday law enforcement operations.
Ingoglia said Florida distributed $24 million in reimbursement funding to law enforcement agencies across the state this week alone.
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said the more than $8.2 million awarded to his agency will be used for technology upgrades, equipment, and training.
Among the planned improvements are a new communications system that will allow local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to communicate more efficiently through two-way radio, along with RFID technology inside the county jail to better track inmate movement.
"This is really important for us as a community, as an organization," Rambosk told WINK News. "It provides us with dollars to improve technology, software, hardware, and training for our members."
Rambosk said the funding will also help improve safety inside the jail while supporting deputies in the field.
Some of the money will reimburse previous purchases, while the rest will help pay for additional training and equipment that have not yet been purchased.
"Some of it is. Some of it is not," Rambosk said. "There is additional equipment that we have not yet gotten. But it will all be used locally here to maintain our facility and keep our community safer."
According to Ingoglia, agencies seeking reimbursement must submit documentation showing eligible purchases or planned expenses before requests are reviewed and approved by the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.
