Joe Biden spent four years telling sheriffs to stand down on immigration.
Florida just paid more than $24 million to the ones who didn't.
And if any of Florida's 67 sheriffs had tried to play sanctuary city games, DeSantis could have removed them from office – so none of them did.
Florida Is Writing the Blueprint Every Red State Should Copy
Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia distributed the funds to eight agencies across Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Sumter counties Tuesday through the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.
The money reimburses agencies for work performed under the federal 287(g) program – the partnership that gives local sheriffs actual ICE authority, not just a phone number to call.
Osceola County Sheriff's Office led the haul at $11,044,909.
Orange County Sheriff's Office came in just behind at $10,881,072.
Lake County, Sumter County, and four smaller departments split the remaining $2.3 million.
Officers who completed 287(g) training also receive bonuses under the agreement.
Florida isn't just asking deputies to take on extra work for free.
They're paying them for it.
This Is What Backing the Blue Actually Looks Like
Lake County Sheriff Peyton C. Grinnell didn't mince words at Tuesday's announcement.
"Criminal illegal aliens no longer get a free pass to come to our country and cause harm," Grinnell said.
Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon added that his deputies are "working around the clock to put criminals behind bars."
These aren't press conference platitudes.
Florida's numbers back them up.
Florida Highway Patrol alone has apprehended more than 9,000 illegal aliens through the 287(g) program since March 2025 – including more than 1,600 with prior criminal histories.
Statewide, nearly 39,000 immigrants were arrested in Florida in the 416 days following Trump's inauguration.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2079691656672993413?s=20
During the same 416-day window under Biden, the number was 11,088.
That's a 250 percent increase – and it didn't happen by accident.
In May, ICE Miami and Florida 287(g) partners arrested 230 criminal alien sexual predators and violent criminals in a single 10-day operation.
That's 230 people who aren't preying on your neighborhood anymore.
The Law That Made Sanctuary Cities Illegal in Florida
The 287(g) program itself isn't new.
Congress created it in 1996 – signed into law during the Clinton administration.
Between January 2006 and November 2008, 287(g) officers lodged immigration charges against more than 81,000 criminal aliens nationwide.
The program worked then.
It works now.
What's new is that Florida made participation mandatory.
A state law signed in February 2025 required all 67 county detention facilities to sign 287(g) agreements with ICE by April 2025.
Any official who refused faced removal from office by the governor.
All 67 counties complied.
Florida then built Operation Tidal Wave on top of that foundation – a joint state-federal enforcement initiative unlike anything tried before at the state level.
Between April 2025 and January 2026, it generated more than 10,400 arrests by state agencies alone.
https://twitter.com/fox35orlando/status/2079598242484867163?s=20
Tuesday's payout is Florida fulfilling its end of the deal to the sheriffs who delivered those results.
CFO Ingoglia sits on the State Board of Immigration Enforcement alongside Governor DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
It's a coordinated machine – and it's running at full speed.
While Democrat mayors in blue cities still argue about whether sheriffs should even cooperate with ICE, Florida has millions in reimbursements flowing and thousands of criminal aliens removed.
That's the difference between governing and posturing.
Florida chose governing.
Sources:
- Frank Kopylov, "CFO Ingoglia awards over $24 million to law enforcement agencies for immigration enforcement," FL Voice News, July 21, 2026.
- "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Awards Over $24 Million to Florida Law Enforcement Agencies to Support Immigration Enforcement," Florida CFO Press Release, July 21, 2026.
- "Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Success of Florida-Federal Immigration Partnership as Operation Tidal Wave Reaches More Than 10,000 Arrests," Executive Office of the Governor, January 5, 2026.
- "ICE and state of Florida arrest 230 criminal alien sexual predators, violent criminals in 10-day operation," ICE.gov, May 8, 2026.
- "FHP and U.S. Border Patrol Arrests 15 Criminal Illegal Aliens in Targeted Detail," Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, March 12, 2026.
- Mark Krikorian, "The 287(g) Program," Center for Immigration Studies, October 26, 2009.
