Charlie Crist spent years running Florida as a Democrat's dream.
Now Charlie Crist just handed the next governor of Florida exactly the ammunition he needed.
Donalds just told sanctuary mayors exactly what's coming – and Charlie Crist handed him the perfect target.
The Warning Donalds Issued From Tampa
Donalds didn't mince words at his Tampa rally.
"If we have local officials decide that they want to ignore federal immigration law and the laws of the state of Florida and create sanctuaries, they'll be removed from office," he said.
That's not a threat.
That's a promise backed by a blueprint.
Ron DeSantis already proved it works.
https://twitter.com/Bannons_WarRoom/status/2085379392872542319?s=20
DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in 2022 and Orange County State Attorney Monique Worrell in 2023 for refusing to enforce Florida law.
Donalds just told Florida he's bringing that same energy – and expanding it to anyone who plays sanctuary games with ICE.
What Crist Just Said Out Loud
While Donalds was promising to hold the line, Charlie Crist was busy reminding everyone why Florida Democrats can't be trusted with public safety.
Running for St. Petersburg mayor, Crist told a radio station he's "not a fan of ICE" and compared the agency's work to murder.
"I'm a fan of enforcing the law but not murdering fellow Americans," Crist said.
Asked directly if he'd sign a 287(g) cooperation agreement with ICE, Crist replied: "With ICE? Why would you?"
That's not a policy position.
That's the sanctuary city playbook dressed up in outrage.
Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins is already playing the same game – she campaigned on revisiting Miami's ICE cooperation agreement and told the public last week she's moving forward with it.
Florida's 2025 law requires sheriffs operating county detention facilities to maintain 287(g) agreements with ICE.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2087577051444174935?s=20
Several Florida cities are refusing to comply.
Attorney General James Uthmeier has already threatened officials in Fort Myers, Key West, Tampa, and Orlando with removal for trying to loosen their ICE cooperation.
The Government's Own Data Blows Up the Sanctuary City Argument
The Left sells sanctuary cities on one argument: immigrants won't report crimes if they fear deportation.
The Center for Immigration Studies, analyzing the Justice Department's own National Crime Victimization Survey, found that crimes against immigrants are reported to police at rates matching or exceeding crimes against U.S.-born citizens – regardless of how closely local law enforcement cooperates with ICE.
ICE has made the consequence plain: non-cooperative jurisdictions release criminal aliens back into the community to reoffend.
Florida banned sanctuary policies outright in 2019, defining them as any practice that prevents local law enforcement from complying or communicating with federal immigration authorities.
Democrats keep pushing the line anyway.
The Pattern Democrats Keep Repeating
This isn't new for Crist.
He ran for governor against DeSantis in 2022 and lost by nearly 20 points.
He ran for Congress in 2024 and lost again.
Now he's running for St. Petersburg mayor – and leading with the same politics Florida voters have rejected every single time.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2087604415674912879?s=20
The difference now is Donalds is watching.
He specifically called out "Soros prosecutors" – referencing the millions George Soros has poured into campaigns for prosecutors who refuse to enforce the law.
"We're not going to ask some State Attorney who's going to go rogue and follow Soros and the DSA thinking that they're not going to uphold Florida law," Donalds said.
Trump endorsed Donalds before the race even started.
The Florida Republican primary is six days away.
Donalds leads every poll by double digits.
Florida hasn't elected a Democrat governor since 1994.
The math is simple.
Democrats in Florida can either get in line or get removed.
Byron Donalds just made that very clear.
Sources:
- "Rep. Byron Donalds, backed by Trump, says he's running for Florida governor," Associated Press, February 2025.
- Steven Camarota, "The Whole Justification for Sanctuary Cities Is Wrong," Center for Immigration Studies, November 2021.
- "2026 Florida Governor's Race Candidate Profiles: Byron Donalds," Florida Daily, August 2026.
- Mitch Perry, "Byron Donalds says he'll remove local officials who indulge in 'sanctuary' policies," Florida Phoenix, August 12, 2026.
