STATE NEWS WEEKLY ROUNDUP: ‘Helping society’
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An anticipated multi-week lull was expected to follow the closure of the regular legislative session and a series of special sessions beginning in mid-April.
But a group of well-connected law enforcement officers took an unexpected stance on immigration. A more expected response came from those they advise.
NOT A TIME TO ‘BACKTRACK’
On Monday the State Immigration Enforcement Council, an advisory group of local law enforcement officials, discussed crafting a letter to Congress and President Donald Trump on creating a path to legal status for select non-criminal immigrants.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, chairman of the council, said immigrants who aren’t criminals should be able to stay in the country, under certain conditions. Other council members, like Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, agreed.
“What’s right’s right, and what’s not’s not,” Gualtieri said at the meeting that, “Going after the mom, who’s got three kids, who’s just trying to make a living, who’s been here for 15 years … that isn’t right, and they do need to fix it.”
The council’s primary job is advising Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet; Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
Uthmeier was clear on Tuesday that “in Florida we’re going to keep enforcing the law.”
“If people are here illegally, then they are breaking the law and we are going to enforce it,” Uthmeier continued.
DeSantis went further in rebuking his advisors.
“My job as governor is to do what’s best for the people, not what any one person who gets elected in one county thinks,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis maintained that Florida has become the national standard for illegal immigration enforcement after enacting legislation and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into law enforcement, state-run detention facilities and working directly with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Who does (border czar) Tom Homan cite as the way to do this? He cites Florida without hesitation,” DeSantis said. “We’ve got to keep the momentum going, we certainly don’t want to backtrack on this.”
At a press conference Tuesday, Judd held his ground on the need to revisit immigration rules for some non-criminal individuals.
“They’re not a drag on society. In fact, they’re helping society,” Judd said. “We need to find a path for them.”
DOCKED
The Legislature delivered the first batch of 11 bills from the 2026 regular session on Wednesday.
DeSantis traveled to Bradenton on Thursday to sign two bills, both focused on coastal resilience. The bill getting most of the attention (SB 302) restricts large dredging or filling of the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, which surrounds private property floated as the site of a potential cruise terminal by SSA Marine and Tampa-based Slip-Knott LLC.
DeSantis said that while Florida highly supports the cruise industry, there needs to be an “appropriate balance” with any regional changes.
“We’re, in many ways, the capital of cruise,” DeSantis said. “But there’s a time and a place for that, right? And we want to preserve this.”
Sen. Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican, voiced support for the cruise industry across the state, just not around the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, where he boated while growing up and where preservation efforts have been underway for years.
“It’s just such a vibrant part of our coastline and just such an area that without protection, who knows what could happen there. But we’re going to stand firm and protect that,” said Boyd, who is slated to become Senate President after the 2026 elections.
After plans for the terminal were introduced in January, Slip Knott stated on its website that it intended to respect the surrounding environment and create long-term economic opportunities for the local community.
“Our new port will complement existing cruise activities in the region by being able to service the newer, larger, low-emissions cruise vessels that would otherwise be unable to visit due to the height restrictions of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge,” the company stated on its website on Jan. 16.
LAWSUIT PENDING
DeSantis indicated online Monday he will sign legislation requiring Florida voters after the 2026 election to prove their citizenship at the ballot box.
On Tuesday, Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias repeated that a lawsuit would be filed once the measure (HB 991) is signed, echoing a previous warning of a legal challenge he made before the bill was passed.
“As soon as you sign this bill, Florida will be sued,” Elias responded to DeSantis.
The Republican-controlled Legislature approved the measure last Thursday. DeSantis posted support for the legislation on Monday.
“Florida has led on election integrity for years — banning ballot harvesting, eliminating Zuckerbucks, creating a state office to prosecute voter fraud, among other initiatives — and now we will be enacting the Florida SAVE Act to further bolster our nation-leading efforts,” DeSantis posted on X.
The bill is Florida’s version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a federal proposal that requires voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote and present a photo ID when casting their vote at the ballot box.
STORY OF THE WEEK:
An advisory panel of leading sheriffs and police chiefs suggests backing off some targets of deportation.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“This idea that unless you’re an axe murderer you should be able to stay, that is not consistent with our laws, and it’s also not good policy,” DeSantis said at an event in Bradenton.
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