What is DeSantis’ $4.7B emergency fund paying for? Here are 5 takeaways

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been using a special emergency fund — normally meant for hurricanes and disasters — to pay for the state’s immigration crackdown. The fund, created to help the governor quickly respond to emergencies, is set to expire in a few days unless the state Legislature extends it.

Records show the DeSantis administration dramatically increased immigration-related spending last summer, using the emergency fund to cover more than $400 million in bills since July. Costs included restaurant tabs, private jet flights and at least $1.7 million in legal fees for defending detention centers.

Full story: From private jets to tacos: Florida’s immigration spending surged last summer

Here are the highlights:

• In total, about $405 million has been spent on immigration this fiscal year alone, far more than in previous years. Most of the money went to private contractors through 83 contracts, including multimillion-dollar deals with companies providing toilets, emergency management and environmental services.

• The emergency fund was created in 2022 to give the governor fast access to money during crises, but critics call it a “slush fund” with weak oversight. DeSantis has renewed an immigration “state of emergency” 20 times, using it to suspend state laws and justify this spending.

• Records show at least $166,000 spent on food at more than 50 restaurants and nearly $717,000 on travel, including private jets and hotel stays. Officials say the food was for emergency staff working around the clock, and one expensive jet flight was described as rescuing Floridians from Israel.

• The state has also used the fund to pay over $1.7 million to outside law firms fighting lawsuits over environmental rules and detainees’ rights at immigration facilities. Federal reimbursement is uncertain, meaning Florida taxpayers might be stuck with the costs of this expanded immigration enforcement.

• The emergency fund is set to expire soon, but the Florida Senate has already voted to extend it through 2027 with few new limits on how it can be used. Democratic lawmakers tried to restrict it to natural disasters and add extra approval steps, but Republicans blocked those changes; a similar House bill has not yet advanced.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Miami Herald journalists.