TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) spent more than $405 million from the state’s emergency fund over a six-month period to support immigration enforcement efforts, according to state spending records reviewed by News From the States.
The expenditures, made between August and February, represent roughly 70% of Florida’s total immigration-related spending over the past four years. Records show the emergency fund covered 83 contracts with private vendors, including costs beyond traditional law enforcement such as private jet flights, restaurant meals, portable restrooms, rental cars, and identification badges.
Among the expenses were nearly $480,000 paid to a Fort Lauderdale-based private jet company for transporting personnel to a southern Florida detention site known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” along with flights tied to evacuating Americans during the Israel–Hamas war. The fund also paid more than $156,000 for meals at over 55 restaurants, primarily in the Tallahassee area, and $203 for custom badges purchased from a local awards company.
The largest single contractor was portable restroom provider Doodie Calls, which received more than $92 million. Nearly $380 million of the total spending went to contractors, several of which have documented political ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration or Florida Republicans.
State officials maintain the spending is legitimate and tied to emergency operations under a standing immigration-related state of emergency declared in January 2023. Florida officials have said they expect federal reimbursement, though federal authorities have expressed skepticism that repayment was ever guaranteed.
Sources
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