By Staff Report
A fund that pays for emergency preparation and response is set to expire Monday, but the House and Senate are divided over whether to limit how Gov. Ron DeSantis can use the money.
Since it was created in 2022, lawmakers have allocated $4.77 billion to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund. DeSantis has used hundreds of millions of dollars for emergencies not related to hurricanes or natural disasters, including illegal immigration enforcement and evacuating Floridians from international hotspots such as Israel and Haiti.
A bill released Thursday as part of the House’s budget package would prohibit using the fund for illegal immigration enforcement. The Senate passed its own version Wednesday without restrictions on how the money could be used.
The House proposal marks another point of tension between DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, who have clashed over issues including tax cuts and condominium safety regulations.
The House is not scheduled to hear the bill in committee until Monday, and budget negotiations between the chambers are not expected before the fund expires at midnight Monday.
DeSantis declared an emergency on immigration in January 2023, allowing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to use the fund to establish Alligator Alcatraz and Deportation Depot, two state-run immigration detention facilities.
Florida spent more than $573 million on immigration enforcement, according to a 2026 annual report required from the division. Although the federal government has approved reimbursements of up to $608 million, the funds have not yet been sent to the state. The report indicates the state expects to receive about half of the $573 million spent.
Under the House bill, any federal reimbursements would go into the state’s general revenue rather than back into the emergency fund.
The proposal also would prohibit spending fund dollars on aircraft, boats or motor vehicles.
Between 2023 and 2025, the state spent more than $29 million on goods related to immigration enforcement, including helicopter engines, 2,500 cargo vans and trailers, according to the report.
The bill would require the Florida Division of Emergency Management to provide an accounting of inventory and assets purchased for natural emergencies, separated by event and agency.
The House proposal would extend the fund through July 1, 2030, while the Senate version would extend it through Dec. 31, 2027.
