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Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida's long-awaited budget cuts spending, saves money for future downturns
TALLAHASSEE — After weeks of infighting and stalled negotiations, Florida's legislative leaders released a slimmed-down budget for the next fiscal year on Friday. The $115.1 billion spending plan is supposed to limit what lawmakers say has been a trend of runaway spending in Tallahassee and counter uncertainty over federal funding from Washington. Lawmakers are slashing more than 1,700 vacant positions across state government and stashing millions of dollars for the state's rainy day fund, but are still funding priority projects with millions of dollars. 'We thought this day would never come, but it did,' Senate budget chairperson Ed Hooper said Friday. Lawmakers are set to vote on the budget Monday evening, ending one of the most contentious legislative sessions in recent memory and setting up a potential clash with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Unlike a typical year, where lawmakers produce a budget within Florida's usual 60-day session, lawmakers took 102 days to put together their final product. That's partly because legislators have been feuding with DeSantis since January, when he called lawmakers in for a special session to address immigration without any clear goals or proposed legislation. The three special sessions ate up critical time that would have been used to work on the budget. 'There were contributing factors that largely were out of the control of either chamber,' said Republican Rep. Lawrence McClure, the House budget chairperson. DeSantis, who has been ruthless in cutting lawmakers' projects in happy times, has until the end of this month to issue vetoes. Earlier this year, amid the feud with DeSantis, the House overrode some of his budget vetoes from last year. The Senate did not. Although lawmakers didn't give DeSantis everything he wanted in the amounts he wanted — including money for his priority Hope Florida program — they still gave him millions for the Florida State Guard and the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. Millions also stayed with first lady Casey DeSantis' cancer research fund. The idea that 'the governor's priorities are being funded at a lower rate' is wrong, McClure said. Overall spending was smaller across the board, he said. Despite producing a smaller budget than the year prior, Florida's budget has still grown by more than 26% since DeSantis came into office in 2019. The budget's growth has outpaced population increases and often outpaced inflation. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, pushed for a leaner budget this year, saying state government spending had swollen and run afoul of conservative values. 'We spend every new dime of recurring revenue while congratulating ourselves for giving easy-to-fund, non-recurring sales tax holidays,' Perez said on the opening day of the session in March. McClure blamed too much federal money in previous years for Florida's 'not sustainable' spending habits. About a third of the state's budget is federal money. But lawmakers are now facing a potentially abrupt reversal from the feds. Under President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, federal lawmakers could pass major cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other social programs. There are also discussions about ending the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Senate President Ben Albritton said that if the federal government cuts costs, he thinks Florida wouldn't be able to avoid shouldering some of the burden. State lawmakers are also preparing for a potential recession, socking away at least $750 million for the state's rainy day fund and proposing making the annual funding permanent through a constitutional amendment next year. The last time the fund was used was during the Great Recession, prompting lawmakers at the time to consider raising taxes. 'I never want a future Legislature to have to be in that position,' Perez said last week. But some Democrats have raised concerns about this year's budget tying the state's hands. 'I think that the state actually should be preparing to help carry its people through that tough time, not looking for ways to cut funding,' said House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell. House lawmakers this year took particular interest in DeSantis' spending habits and governance, focusing in part on the thousands of vacant positions across state agencies. To slim the budget, they're slashing many of those positions for the next year, including more than 1,000 in Florida's health care agencies, including the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Health. Lawmakers also set aside a smaller amount of money than usual for teacher and school employee raises — $100 million instead of previous years' roughly $250 million. And they're also not funding $2 million for DeSantis' Hope Florida program, which is supposed to steer constituents in need from state services to local churches and nonprofits. Lawmakers' scrutiny has caused DeSantis to rage against them in news conferences and online videos this year. But he's still getting much of what he requested. For the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, lawmakers set aside $50 million, $25 million less than he wanted. A state cancer grant fund, backed by the first lady, got $60 million. And while the Legislature put more than $500 million toward the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, it fell short of the more than $600 million DeSantis wanted, with lawmakers pointing to how much of the prior funding remained unspent. Some of the ideas in the budget popped up in the final days of negotiations, including a $3 million fund to give grants to local jails that contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for immigration enforcement. The Florida Senate also put aside $23 million to fund the Florida State Guard, which DeSantis has used as a tool in his immigration enforcement and deportation plans. But Hooper, R-Clearwater, said that the funding had more to do with the possibility of FEMA being dissolved than it had to do with immigration enforcement. Both chambers together supported more than $100 million to increase the nursing home reimbursement rate. About $28 million will go toward a farmer food share program prioritized by Albritton, along with about $104 million for another priority of his: citrus research. Lawmakers this year are cutting taxes — but mostly for businesses. Legislative leaders are eliminating the business rent tax, saving companies across the state about $900 million per year. DeSantis also proposed eliminating it in his budget. They're not taking any action to reduce property taxes, however, and the House's plan for a sweeping sales tax cut has been whittled down to a limited sales tax reduction plan, which includes making the back-to-school sales tax holiday a permanent event every August and permanently exempting taxes on some items, like sunscreen and life jackets. Though lawmakers initially billed the tax package as being targeted to benefit Florida families, the final package exempts or reduces taxes on things like NASCAR tickets, card rooms and slot machine licensing fees. The final tax bill also sets aside $1 million for Florida's Office of Economic and Demographic Research to do a study on the state's property taxes. DeSantis has proposed cutting or eliminating property taxes, which could leave local governments without a critical revenue source. But he proposed no concrete ideas for how to do that. The governor in March offered a temporary plan to use $5 billion to give people a $1,000 homestead property tax rebate. But neither the House nor the Senate took up the idea. A month into the legislative session, Perez made a surprise announcement that the House wanted to cut the state's sales tax from 6% to 5.25%. It would have been the largest state tax cut in Florida's history, saving Floridians nearly $5 billion per year. But the Senate wouldn't go along with the plan. When asked why lawmakers decided to give businesses the largest tax break this year, Perez said the ultimate goal was to cut the amount of money lawmakers could spend. 'We have become accustomed to spending recurring dollars,' Perez said, adding: 'What we are trying to do is stop that from happening into the future.' Times reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek contributed to this report.
Miami Herald
14-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Florida's long-awaited budget slashes spending, stashes money for a rainy day
After weeks of infighting and stalled negotiations, Florida's legislative leaders have released a slimmed-down budget for the next fiscal year. The $115.1 billion spending plan released Friday is supposed to limit what lawmakers say has been a trend of runaway spending in Tallahassee and counter uncertainty over federal funding from Washington. Lawmakers are slashing more than 1,700 vacant positions across state government and stashing millions of dollars for the state's rainy day fund, but are still funding priority projects with millions of dollars. 'We thought this day would never come, but it did,' Senate budget chairperson Ed Hooper said Friday. Lawmakers are set to vote on the budget Monday evening, ending one of the most contentious legislative sessions in recent memory and setting up a potential clash with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Unlike a typical year, where lawmakers produce a budget within Florida's usual 60-day session, lawmakers took 102 days to put together their final product. That's partly because legislators have been feuding with DeSantis since January, when he called lawmakers in for a special session to address immigration without any clear goals or proposed legislation. The three special sessions ate up critical time that would have been used to work on the budget. 'There were contributing factors that largely were out of the control of either chamber,' said Republican Rep. Lawrence McClure, the House budget chairperson. DeSantis, who has been ruthless in cutting lawmakers' projects in happy times, has until the end of this month to issue vetoes. Earlier this year, amid the feud with DeSantis, the House overrode some of his budget vetoes from last year. The Senate did not. Although lawmakers didn't give DeSantis everything he wanted in the amounts he wanted — including money for his priority Hope Florida program — they still gave him millions for the Florida State Guard and the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. Millions also stayed with first lady Casey DeSantis' cancer research fund. The idea that 'the governor's priorities are being funded at a lower rate' is wrong, McClure said. Overall spending was smaller across the board, he said. Less spending, and possibly less federal help Despite producing a smaller budget than the year prior, Florida's budget has still grown by more than 26% since DeSantis came into office in 2019. The budget's growth has outpaced population increases and often outpaced inflation. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, pushed for a leaner budget this year, saying state government spending had swollen and run afoul of conservative values. 'We spend every new dime of recurring revenue while congratulating ourselves for giving easy-to-fund, non-recurring sales tax holidays,' Perez said on the opening day of the session in March. McClure blamed too much federal money in previous years for Florida's 'not sustainable' spending habits. About a third of the state's budget is federal money. But lawmakers are now facing a potentially abrupt reversal from the feds. Under President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, federal lawmakers could pass major cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other social programs. There are also discussions about ending the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Senate President Ben Albritton said that if the federal government cuts costs, he thinks Florida wouldn't be able to avoid shouldering some of the burden. State lawmakers are also preparing for a potential recession, socking away at least $750 million for the state's rainy day fund and proposing making the annual funding permanent through a constitutional amendment next year. The last time the fund was used was during the Great Recession, prompting lawmakers at the time to consider raising taxes. 'I never want a future Legislature to have to be in that position,' Perez said last week. But some Democrats have raised concerns about this year's budget tying the state's hands. 'I think that the state actually should be preparing to help carry its people through that tough time, not looking for ways to cut funding,' said House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell. Cuts to the budget House lawmakers this year took particular interest in DeSantis' spending habits and governance, focusing in part on the thousands of vacant positions across state agencies. To slim the budget, they're slashing many of those positions for the next year, including more than 1,000 in Florida's health care agencies, including the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Health. Lawmakers also set aside a smaller amount of money than usual for teacher and school employee raises — $100 million instead of previous years' roughly $250 million. And they're also not funding $2 million for DeSantis' Hope Florida program, which is supposed to steer constituents in need from state services to local churches and nonprofits. Lawmakers' scrutiny has caused DeSantis to rage against them in news conferences and online videos this year. But he's still getting much of what he requested. For the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, lawmakers set aside $50 million, $25 million less than he wanted. A state cancer grant fund, backed by the first lady, got $60 million. And while the Legislature put more than $500 million toward the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, it fell short of the more than $600 million DeSantis wanted, with lawmakers pointing to how much of the prior funding remained unspent. Some of the ideas in the budget popped up in the final days of negotiations, including a $3 million fund to give grants to local jails that contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for immigration enforcement. The Florida Senate also put aside $23 million to fund the Florida State Guard, which DeSantis has used as a tool in his immigration enforcement and deportation plans. But Hooper, R-Clearwater, said that the funding had more to do with the possibility of FEMA being dissolved than it had to do with immigration enforcement. Both chambers together supported more than $100 million to increase the nursing home reimbursement rate. About $28 million will go toward a farmer food share program prioritized by Albritton, along with about $104 million for another priority of his: citrus research. No property tax breaks Lawmakers this year are cutting taxes — but mostly for businesses. Legislative leaders are eliminating the business rent tax, saving companies across the state about $900 million per year. DeSantis also proposed eliminating it in his budget. They're not taking any action to reduce property taxes, however, and the House's plan for a sweeping sales tax cut has been whittled down to a limited sales tax reduction plan, which includes making the back-to-school sales tax holiday a permanent event every August and permanently exempting taxes on some items, like sunscreen and life jackets. Though lawmakers initially billed the tax package as being targeted to benefit Florida families, the final package exempts or reduces taxes on things like NASCAR tickets, card rooms and slot machine licensing fees. The final tax bill also sets aside $1 million for Florida's Office of Economic and Demographic Research to do a study on the state's property taxes. DeSantis has proposed cutting or eliminating property taxes, which could leave local governments without a critical revenue source. But he proposed no concrete ideas for how to do that. The governor in March offered a temporary plan to use $5 billion to give people a $1,000 homestead property tax rebate. But neither the House nor the Senate took up the idea. A month into the legislative session, Perez made a surprise announcement that the House wanted to cut the state's sales tax from 6% to 5.25%. It would have been the largest state tax cut in Florida's history, saving Floridians nearly $5 billion per year. But the Senate wouldn't go along with the plan. When asked why lawmakers decided to give businesses the largest tax break this year, Perez said the ultimate goal was to cut the amount of money lawmakers could spend. 'We have become accustomed to spending recurring dollars,' Perez said, adding: 'What we are trying to do is stop that from happening into the future.' Times reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek contributed to this report.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Done deal: Florida legislators reach a budget agreement
House budget chief Rep. Lawrence McClure, left, and Senate budget chief Sen. Ed Hooper, right, answer budget questions on June 13, 2025. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Amid looming federal cuts, legislators finalized the state spending plan for the next fiscal year Friday, announcing they expect to take a final vote on the budget Monday evening. As of Friday evening, the budget had not been printed, but Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, told reporters the spending plan is about $500 million less than what Gov. Ron DeSantis' proposed $115.6 billion budget for state fiscal year 2025-26. Friday marked the 102nd day of this year's legislative session, which was extended because of the legislative leaders' failure to pass a budget. Disagreements over the size of the budget and what approach to take on tax cuts created a rift that pushed lawmakers to come back to Tallahassee to pass a budget before June 30 to avoid a government shutdown. House Budget Committee Chair Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, said the debate took longer than it should have, but put the blame in part on special sessions on immigration called prior to the start of the 2025 legislative session. 'That took a lot of bandwidth from both chambers, membership and staff. So I'm not excusing that we're delayed in getting this budget done, but there were contributing factors that largely were out of the control of either chamber,' he said. 'I'm glad we did the work on immigration. It was important work. But I'm thankful we were as thorough as we were,' on the budget. McClure also stressed the leaner budget. He emphasized the $1.5 billion set for reserves over the next two fiscal years, which the GOP-led Legislature is touting as an answer for a potential recession. 'For starters, it's a smaller supplemental list than many years prior,' McClure said, adding, 'we've put a bunch of recurring money in reserve stabilizing the long-term future.' Lawmakers last dipped into the Budget Stabilization Fund, which currently has $4.4 billion, during the Great Recession. Still, President Donald Trump's plan to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency after this year's hurricane season worried Hooper, he said. The Senate agreed to provide $23 million for the Florida State Guard — DeSantis had requested $62 million — keeping in mind the civilian volunteer force's role in responding to emergencies. 'We heard yesterday that, from our friends in Washington, after this hurricane season, there may be no more FEMA,' Hooper said. 'We may be on our own someday, and that would not be the time to start thinking about what should we plan ahead. … Just the state guard is an important part of making sure our state has the resources because the National Guard; it could be called anywhere.' The Florida State Guard has mainly been part of DeSantis' messaging against illegal immigration, particularly in sending troops to Texas' southern border. Hooper also expressed concerns about the multi-billion-dollar cut to Medicaid that Congress could enact. About 44% of federal funds coming into the state are for Medicaid. 'We hope they never change the formula of the Medicaid reimbursement,' he said. 'We're in trouble if they do.' Legislators earmarked nearly $560 million for local projects important to members. The supplemental funding was included on so-called sprinkle lists the chambers released Friday. But those hundreds of millions went to more than local projects. The powerful nursing home industry was able to secure significant Medicaid rate increases for long-term care facilities on both the House and Senate sprinkle lists. In the aggregate, the chambers agreed to a $176 million hike, of which about $18 million is recurring. That's on top of a near $110 million rate increase the chambers had already agreed to put in the budget. The increase in funds is expected to be coupled with new requirements on nursing homes that will be addressed in separate legislation, known as the conforming bill. It will be one of a spate of issues contained in SB 2514 the health care conforming bill. The House targeted $23.3 million in state and federal funds to a Medicaid managed care program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program is a priority of House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, who pushed this year to take the small pilot program available in two Medicaid regions statewide. Republican Senate President Ben Albritton, of Wachula, had to give up his dreams for a $200 million 'Rural Renaissance' to invest in the state's underdeveloped and economically challenged communities. But he managed to keep most of the money for tackling food insecurity. Before budget negotiations fell apart earlier in the year, the Senate's budget included two grant programs through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: $12 million to expand the infrastructure of food banks in rural communities, and another $38 million to help food banks buy products from Florida farmers. In this final deal, Albritton gets to keep $10 million for food bank infrastructure and $28 million for farmers to feed communities. Food bank networks across the state counted on this investment following the loss of millions in federal funds they used to buy fresh produce. The Senate included in its sprinkle list $300,000 for an 'Intellectual Freedom Survey,' half for the State University System and half for the Florida College System. The survey is meant to 'compile and analyze the annual intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity survey.' The House included $7.5 million for Florida Polytechnic University to increase its enrollment to 3,000 students. Its fall 2024 enrollment was more than 1,770. The chambers agreed to fund $42.4 million to Florida State University for operational funding, the most of any institution. Florida International University would receive $35 million under the proposed budget for operation enhancement. Between the two chambers' sprinkle lists, $10 million has been allocated to security for Jewish day schools. In its Friday offer, the Senate rejected a House proposal to require private universities to meet performance metrics to accept scholarships for in-state students. The House included in its sprinkle list $4 million for Florida State University, half for the newly created Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and half for Sunshine Genetics Pilot Program. In the sprinkle list, the Senate was more amenable to DeSantis' requests. Aside from including funds for the State Guard, the upper chamber also included $25 million for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, an initiative to encourage public infrastructure projects. In total, the budget includes $50 million out of the $75 million in DeSantis' proposed budget. Cancer funding has been a priority for the DeSantis administration which pushed this year for a number of changes to how the state funds cancer research. While the DeSantis administration fell short on its efforts to redirect $127 million in cancer funds it did succeed on other fronts. The Legislature agreed to appropriate $50 million for a research incubator for cancer and another $60 million increase in innovation funds awarded by the First Lady Casey DeSantis as part of her cancer initiative. The budget is complete but the tax reduction plan is not. Legislators are also expected to hammer out a tax cut package that will include a reduction in business rent taxes as well as other changes designed to assist Florida families. While the chambers have agreed to spending levels and the fine print that goes along with how the money should be spent they still haven't finalized the conforming bills. The Legislature is using budget conforming bills to pass substantive policy. Unlike the budget, which expires in a year, conforming bills change statutes. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers seal lean budget deal, aim for June 16 final vote
State lawmakers finally put the finishing touches on a drawn-out budget negotiation this year, agreeing to nearly $560 million in funding for projects and sealing deals on environmental and higher education funding. The move sets up a vote on the 2025-26 budget – delayed for more than a month over a standoff between House and Senate leaders over tax cuts – for June 16. Florida's constitution requires a 72-hour 'cooling off' period once the budget is made public before legislators can vote on it. A price tag for the total budget wasn't available the afternoon of June 13, but House budget chief Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, said it would be less than Gov. Ron DeSantis' proposal of $115.6 billion. The current year's budget is $118.6 billion. 'Choices have to be made, right? And we all come from different corners of this state with different experiences and different situations so that conversation took a little bit longer than expected,' McClure told reporters. 'Hopefully next year's legislature and future legislatures will be the beneficiaries, where otherwise they would have been making equally if not more difficult decisions than we did this year,' he added. The cuts include eliminating more than 1,000 vacant positions throughout the state government and setting aside $750 million per year into a key reserve fund. Not every portion of the budget, though, will see cuts. State workers will receive an across-the-board raise of 2%, and teachers and law enforcement will receive targeted raises, as will judges, state attorneys and public defenders. As part of the last-minute deals, lawmakers agreed to $560 million in special projects in what have come to be known as "sprinkle lists," a nickname from the idea that lawmakers are "sprinkling" extra money across the state. That includes $136.9 million to boost nursing home reimbursement rates, $23 million in operational funds for the Florida State Guard, $10 million for a cancer research fund supported by First Lady Casey DeSantis and $1.8 million for the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Senate budget chief Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said with President Donald Trump and other top federal officials talking about phasing out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it was important to provide funding for the Florida State Guard to help state residents recover from future hurricanes. 'We heard yesterday from our friends in Washington after this hurricane season there may be no more FEMA. We may be on our own some day and that would not be the time to start thinking, 'Should we plan ahead?' ' Hooper said. 'The State Guard's an important part of making sure we have the resources.' Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, has said he wanted to cut expenses, concerned about a projected $7 billion shortfall in two years if current spending trends continued. But he clashed with Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, about how to do it. Perez's main priority was cutting the state sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, costing state coffers about $5 billion per year. Albritton initially refused to go along, concerned such a big cut would hamper the ability to fund vital programs for a growing state. The dispute pushed the budget negotiations past the original May 2 end date for the regular session. Then a 'framework' agreed to by Albritton and Perez to cut the sales tax to 5.75% was scuttled by DeSantis, who vowed to veto any tax cut plan that included an overall sales tax reduction. He was concerned such a move would crowd out his push for a property tax cut on the 2026 statewide ballot. When House and Senate negotiators went back to the drawing board, another framework for a tax cut deal emerged, with $1.6 billion in cuts. Those details still need to be worked out, but Hooper and McClure said they'd meet again to hash out a deal on the tax bill. Before the latest agreement, lawmakers knew they were pressed for time to pass a spending plan. The fiscal year ends June 30, and if a budget isn't in place by then, parts of state government may need to shut down. 'We knew that we had to come here to get where we are today because, come July 1, nobody wanted a government shutdown. Nobody wanted employees to be without a paycheck,' Hooper said. Lawmakers are poised to vote on the budget the evening of June 16. DeSantis, who has line-item veto authority, must still sign it into law by June 30. Given the fights with the Legislature, he could wield a heavy veto pen when he does. This is a developing news story and will be updated. Check back later for more. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida lawmakers cut state budget deal, sets up June 16 vote
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ahead of anti-Trump rallies, officials say: ‘If you resist lawful orders, you're going to jail'
Anti-Trump protesters stand in front of the Florida Historic Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix) Floridians in more than 70 cities throughout the state plan to join nationwide demonstrations to protest the Trump administration on Saturday, prompting Attorney General James Uthmeier and other law enforcement officials to say they won't hesitate to quash protests. The protests, part of the 'No Kings' movement, are set to take place the same day as the multimillion-dollar military parade in D.C. and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Uthmeier, who along Gov. Ron DeSantis has been criticizing the protests in downtown Los Angeles against Trump's immigration crackdown, said he wanted to put the public on notice before Saturday. Trump sent the California National Guard into the city despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the California governor rejected DeSantis' offer to send the Florida State Guard, according to the Miami Herald. 'If you want to wreak havoc and destruction in Florida, we have enhanced penalties to ensure you will do time, so we do not tolerate rioting. As groups talk about assembling over the weekend, we haven't seen much of that in Florida,' Uthmeier said during a press conference in Brevard County. However, protests are planned in all the state's major cities, including in front of the Florida Historic Capitol in Tallahassee, according to the movement's website. The messaging from Uthmeier reflects Trump's warnings that those who protest the D.C. parade will be met with 'very heavy force.' 'If you resist lawful orders, you're going to jail. Let me be very clear about that: if you block an intersection or a roadway in Brevard County, you are going to jail,' said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. 'If you flee arrest, you're going to go to jail tired because we are going to run you down and put you in jail. … If you throw a brick, a fire bomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you.' Uthmeier also announced that Florida Highway Patrol troopers would start patrolling the houses of federal immigration officials who believe they have been doxxed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
