{"id":28669,"date":"2025-10-31T22:52:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T22:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/28669\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T22:52:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T22:52:23","slug":"larry-keefe-out-as-executive-director-for-fl-board-of-immigration-enforcement-tallahassee-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/28669\/","title":{"rendered":"Larry Keefe Out as Executive Director for FL Board of Immigration Enforcement \u2013 Tallahassee Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fb-share-icon\"<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Tweet\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix<\/a><\/p>\n

Larry Keefe, the first executive director of Florida\u2019s new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, exited his post Tuesday in what the governor\u2019s office says was a planned move.<\/p>\n

A former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Keefe\u2019s position will be taken over effective immediately by Anthony Coker, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement liaison to the state of Florida. This comes months after the Legislature\u00a0created<\/a>\u00a0the board to consolidate efforts against undocumented immigration and approve state grants to reimburse state and local law enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cLarry 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, and we really thank him for his service,\u201d Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Tuesday Cabinet meeting. \u201cI move to approve the appointment of Anthony Coker as executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three Cabinet members unanimously agreed to Coker\u2019s appointment in the phone call meeting, which lasted under three minutes. These meetings are chaired by DeSantis and include Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Cabinet members are elected statewide and independently of the governor.<\/p>\n

A representative of the governor confirmed that Coker will take over immediately from Keefe, and that this was a \u201cplanned transition.\u201d It wasn\u2019t immediately clear where Keefe heads next.<\/p>\n

Keefe served as public safety czar in DeSantis\u2019 administration early in his second term, helping to orchestrate migrant flights from Texas to Massachusetts in 2022. He was\u00a0tapped<\/a>\u00a0as executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement on Feb. 17, vowing to be \u201crelentless.\u201d<\/p>\n

The board\u2019s new leader, Coker, was announced in June to be the nation\u2019s first state-embedded liaison with ICE.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to be the first state to announce our own ICE agent embed in the state,\u201d Uthmeier said at the time, explaining that Coker would be stationed alongside Florida\u2019s immigration board to support efforts against undocumented immigration, Talk of Titusville\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Keefe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

\"fb-share-icon\"<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Tweet\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t