Florida lawmakers end special session called by Governor DeSantis, call their own session
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers delivered a pair of rebukes to Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday, choosing to debate their own packages of immigration bills, overriding his veto of legislative funding and refusing to immediately consider batches of legislation he had pushed for on other topics.
"It's actually about following the leader you trust," said State Sen. President Ben Albritton. "For my part, I trust President Trump."
What was done on Monday?
Dig deeper:
After they fulfilled their requirement of gaveling in a special session called by the governor, they gaveled out just as quickly. They then went to work on their own immigration bill, which they called the TRUMP Act.
It renders the agriculture commissioner the state's new "Chief Immigration Officer," it allots a half-billion dollars to law enforcement to crack down on illegal immigration, and it repeals in-state tuition for the children of those who are undocumented.
"I just hope at the end of the day, the work product that leaves the legislature is one that is very, very strong and complements the work that President Trump is doing in the White House," said State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia.
The emotional toll of the debate was on display, particularly when it came to the repealing of in-state tuition benefits for children who were brought to the United States, a measure that was signed by then-Governor Rick Scott and had been backed by the current Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez.
"These are kids that are so incredibly patriotic," said State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando). "They love this country so much. It is not their fault they don't have status. They had to go to a Florida high school to qualify for this. It's the only country they know."
Big picture view:
While Republicans have large enough majorities to get the immigration bill they want, the day was seen as remarkable even by Democrats, who noted that this is among the first times legislative leaders didn't closely follow DeSantis.
Along with voting to reinstate funding for legislative services the governor had vetoed, they did not take up topics the governor had urged them to, particularly reforms to Florida's new condo inspection laws and the state's ballot initiative process.
What's next:
Democrats predicted an immigration bill would land on the governor's desk.
"It won't be what he wants.," said State Sen. Shev Jones (D-Miami Gardens), "but I will tell you, if he vetoes it, we have the numbers to override his veto, just like we did today when we overrode his budget item that he vetoed in the last legislative session."
Backers of the bill the governor supported are concerned the TRUMP Act won't go far enough in ensuring the undocumented face penalties for trying to register to vote, that wire transfers to home countries are blocked, and that local law enforcement will have the teeth they need.
Floor votes are expected on Tuesday.
What led to the special session?
The backstory:
Earlier this month, the governor said the issue of illegal immigration, which he calls a "crisis," can't wait until the regular Legislative session that's set to start in March.
Gov. DeSantis later held a news conference in Winter Haven with law enforcement leaders, including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, saying the time is now to address immigration with President Donald Trump returning to the White House.
"We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission," DeSantis said on Jan. 15. "The mission is very simple: we need to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all in these United States of America."

Governor Ron DeSantis spoke on Jan. 15 in Winter Haven on the issue of immigration.
What was the governor proposing?
Big picture view:
During his Jan. 15 news conference, the governor laid out several proposals he wanted state lawmakers to address:
- Requiring "maximum participation" among all cities and counties in enforcement of immigration laws
- Enacting criminal penalties for illegal entry under state law, in addition to federal laws
- Appointing a state Immigration Enforcement Officer dedicated to overseeing coordination with federal authorities
- Expanding existing authorities, with the support of the federal government, to empower local and state officials to detain and deport undocumented immigrants
- Stronger gang enforcement, including broadening the legal definition of gang-related activity
- Reforms to education and voting rules (DeSantis cited proposals to prohibit some state universities from admitting undocumented immigrants and to end in-state tuition at public colleges and universities)
- Stricter rules for affirming U.S. citizenship and Florida residency when registering to vote
- Increasing penalties for illegal immigrants who commit voter fraud or provide false voter registration information
- Imposing ID verification for foreign remittances (transfer of money from one country to another)
- Flight risk presumption when considering bail for illegal immigrants who are brought up on criminal charges
Other issues on the table
While immigration was a significant item for this special session, Gov. DeSantis also wanted lawmakers to address hurricane relief, condo fee reform and the citizen ballot initiative process.
Pushback against special session
The other side:
Some of Florida's top leaders, including members of the governor's own party, came out earlier this month against the idea of a special session.
State Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez, both Republicans, issued a joint memo calling the session "premature" and "completely irresponsible" because they wanted to wait until after Trump's inauguration to see how he would handle the border situation.
What they're saying:
Both Albritton and Perez reiterated their support for stricter enforcement of immigration laws during Monday's short-lived session, while again rebuking the governor's calling for the session.
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"President Trump clearly has the situation under control and is leading from the Oval Office," Albritton said. "I want to be careful that we don't do anything to undermine President Trump's very good plan. I won't stand for that."
"We did carefully consider Governor DeSantis' proposal, and he had some good ideas," Perez said. "But many of his proposals are bureaucratic. We do not need to duplicate the function of U.S. Immigration and Customs and create a Mini-Me version of ICE."
What's next:
Both chambers of the Florida Legislature plan to reconvene Tuesday morning.
Florida's regular legislative session is scheduled to start March 4.
The Source: This story was written using information from the Florida Legislature, the Governor's Office and previous FOX 13 News reports.
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