TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Leon County Commission voted 6-1 on Tuesday to accept a $500,000 grant to reimburse the expenses the sheriff’s office has and will incur for cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Under state law, the sheriff’s office is required to cooperate with ICE in enforcing federal immigration laws, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. So, they need reimbursement from the State Board of Immigration Enforcement in the form of a grant.
Leon County commissioners debated whether or not to accept that grant during their Tuesday meeting.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office senior executive director and CFO, Elise Gann, told commissioners that if they denied the grant, the sheriff’s office would be reimbursed with local tax money.
Commission Chairman Christian Maddox said the county has been placed in a “very hard spot.”
“I’m having a hard time putting the sheriff’s office $500,000 under when we could use the grant dollars,” Maddox said.
Commissioner Rick Minor referenced the recent immigration crackdown in Minnesota and the recent deadly ICE-involved shootings. He also acknowledged the state law that requires local departments to cooperate with ICE.
“This is not immigration enforcement,” he said. “Every sheriff’s office must assist ICE.”
More Tallahassee news:
The sheriff’s office CFO fielded several questions from commissioners on Tuesday and said immigration enforcement will not increase if the grant is accepted.
“A yes vote means the state pays for this. Today’s vote only determines who pays for this,” Minor said.
LCSO’s CFO says the sheriff’s office has now spent about $29,000 to support immigration enforcement, and has had 87 ICE detainers at the Leon County Detention Facility.
“The grant has already been agreed to by the sheriff,” Commissioner David O’Keefe said. “$250,000 of the grant is for overtime and training for 62 LCSO employees to be trained for immigration enforcement.”
The CFO says LCSO deputies will not get a bonus for immigration enforcement because they won’t be participating in any immigration task forces.
Commissioner David O’Keefe voted against accepting the grant.
“This is not public safety, this is stoking fear,” he said. “It’s my job to protect dignity and humanity.”
Maddox, meanwhile, motioned to accept the grant.
“You, the taxpayers, will be paying if we don’t accept these services. I put my trust in the sheriff to make sure some of the things we’ve seen across the country don’t happen here,” the commissioner said. “I made the motion not in support of ICE, but to support the sheriff on things he’s been made to do.”
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.