Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet on Tuesday approved $90 million in grants for local law enforcement agencies for items related to enforcement of illegal immigration. The $90 million is for new and amended grants to 56 county and city police departments for radios, body cameras, riot gear, ballistic helmets, X-ray machines, inmate restraint chairs, and other items.

Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Receive Funding

Out of the $90 million in grants, $30.3 million is for new awards and $57 million are additional funds for law enforcement agencies that had already asked for assistance. Orange County and Polk County sheriff offices asked for the most money, with Orange County requesting $10 million, mostly for equipment, including 910 portable radios. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office asked for $10 million, with $8.7 million being spent on encrypted radio device systems and servers to enable communication with ICE agents.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office requested $9 million, which includes more than $2.5 million for a rapid DNA testing system and 2,000 DNA processing swabs. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office requested more than $8 million, with about $5 million to be used for communication equipment, including radios, and $600,000 for two Skywatch mobile towers to enhance situation awareness and support immigration enforcement operations.

The state has approved $147 million in immigration enforcement grants and disbursed almost $5 million to 25 local law enforcement agencies, according to Transparency Florida, a state website that tracks government spending. Lawmakers in 2025 set aside $250 million to reimburse local law enforcement for purchases related to illegal immigration enforcement, including overtime for officers who participate in operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Original reporting: Jacksonville Today — read the source article.