The state of Florida has suddenly replaced the head of its State Board of Immigration Enforcement.
At an Oct. 28 meeting, the board said goodbye to Larry Keefe, who held its executive director position since February of this year, a total of eight months. Keefe’s successor will be Anthony Coker, who was Florida’s first U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement liaison.
“Larry has done a number of things in our administration over the years, and he has performed at a very high level with honor and integrity,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis, a member of the board, which met by phone.
Keefe used to be north Florida’s top federal prosecutor and the state’s appointed public safety czar, but is most known for being heavily involved in the 2022 publicity stunt of arranging flights of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to blue states.
Keefe, who has been the subject of lawsuits and investigations that have stemmed from the migrant flights, said in February that the executive director position was the “perfect thing for me.” He did not speak during the board’s meeting on Oct. 28, and the meeting lasted less than five minutes.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said Keefe’s exit was “a planned transition.” He was paid $102,000 a year, state records show.
Law enforcement gets more money for immigration enforcement
In other business, the board agreed to give 15 local police departments and sheriff’s offices $4,171,896.91 as another batch of reimbursements for their immigration enforcement efforts.
The board – comprised of DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson – also awarded sheriff’s offices in Wakulla and Santa Rosa counties more money for detention beds and equipment.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the most money, with $998,602. The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office comes in second, with $991,279, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office comes in third with $499,523.
Approximately half of St. Lucie’s requests are for enforcement equipment and items for the jail. In addition to the common request of Rapid ID devices and license plate reader cameras, the sheriff’s office is also asking for long-range infrared light kits, a $145,000 radio-frequency identification system for the jail to track inmates, DNA swab kits and approximately 1,873 different color inmate uniforms for undocumented immigrants.
“These uniforms will help to maintain security by making unauthorized alien inmates easily identifiable, distinguishing them from staff, visitors, and regular inmates at the facility.” the request says. “In addition, these highly identifiable uniforms will be a valuable asset during transport activities to help prevent escape attempts.”
All the requests were preliminarily OK’d by Keefe between Oct. 10 and Oct. 24.
The state will repay law enforcement with the $250 million it set aside during a special session earlier this year to refund any expenses relating to assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This includes bonuses and overtime for officers who participate in ICE operations.
The federal government also has awarded Florida $38 million for the state’s immigration efforts, with $10 million of that going to local law enforcement. That money does not overlap with the state’s reimbursement awards.
Breakdown of reimbursements by county
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Larry Keefe out as Florida immigration enforcement director
Reporting by Ana Goñi-Lessan, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
