The Fourth Floor Rotunda in the Florida Capitol. (Photo by Michael Moline/Florida Phoenix)
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office became the first law enforcement agency in Florida to have part of its immigration enforcement grant request denied — but the reduction was never publicly discussed or voted on during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
In an 11th hour revision, Lee County’s $23 million reimbursement request was slashed by nearly two-thirds — although it remains unclear whether that change was made by the county, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Cabinet member, or the State Board of Immigration Enforcement director.
Eighteen million dollars of that would have paid for a six-year contract with an AI body cam company. The state will instead pay for $8.9 million of the total request and chose to reduce the coastal county’s contract to two-years with a $4.3 million price tag.
This first-of-its-kind denial played out largely behind the scenes.
It appeared so last-minute that the amended document wasn’t published on the State Board’s site until more than six hours after the meeting ended. Traditionally, state entities publish their finalized agendas before meetings begin.
Still, DeSantis and the Cabinet approved the changes without acknowledging the reduction in funds. The only mention of the cut came when board Director Anthony Coker briefly mentioned a “modification” to Lee County’s request, bringing it lower than the figure posted on the state’s website, but did not explain further.
Coker did not respond to a request for comment, and the governor’s office declined comment.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office told the Phoenix that it had applied for $22.6 million in new reimbursements ahead of Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, but referred requests as to why their dollars were cut to their public records division.
A public information officer did not say whether the cut was the office’s choice.
This is the first time the board hasn’t greenlit all requests posted ahead of its meetings. It’s approved 101 grants totaling $60.9 million since September, although just $93,544 of those funds have been disbursed so far, spending records show.
The board is a new commission made up of the governor and the Cabinet, which includes Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
It was created in 2025 to assist with President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, and to encourage and reimburse local law enforcement agencies assisting with detentions and deportations. These payments are made from a $250 million state immigration grant formed last year.
All of Lee County’s other requests were approved Tuesday. This included payments for two mobile surveillance towers, a two-year subscription to an AI policing software company, bulletproof vests, and license plate readers. The governor Cabinet approved another $31.1 million in requests from 16 other counties.