Republican leaders in the Florida Legislature have pushed back on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) request for a special legislative session to implement President-elect Trump's immigration policies, calling them “premature.”
In a letter to their colleagues, state Senate President Ben Albritton (R) and state House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) provide guidance to states on actions state legislatures can take to support the federal agenda. He said he was not aware of any specific guidelines. .
“Florida’s Constitution mandates attendance at special legislative sessions unilaterally called by the Governor,” the leaders wrote. “But the speaker also has the power to call a special session. As the people's elected representatives, the Legislature, not the governor, decides when and what bills are considered.”
Mr. Albritton and Mr. Perez said they supported Mr. Trump's policies, adding that it would be “irresponsible” to speak ahead of any announcement Mr. Trump might make.
“If we receive specific guidance that may require state legislative action to complement President Trump's efforts, we stand ready to act at the appropriate time,” they wrote. .
The letter came hours after DeSantis called for a special session to implement President Trump's immigration policies during a press conference on Monday.
“I intend to call Congress into special session beginning the week of January 27,” DeSantis said at a news conference Monday. “The president-elect is scheduled to take office on January 20th, and we expect executive orders to be issued immediately after the oath of office and inaugural address.”
DeSantis also called on lawmakers to work on legislation related to the state's condo market and hurricane relief efforts. Albritton and Perez said the issue does not need to be addressed in a special legislative session.
“Regarding the additional issues outlined by the Governor this morning, the fact is that there is sufficient funding available to pay for the state's ongoing disaster response efforts and there is no need to wait until July 1st for additional funding. No,” they wrote. “Apartment safety and ballot initiatives proposing constitutional amendments are complex topics that should be considered during the regular session, rather than a truncated special session.”
Not all Republicans in the Florida Legislature support the letter. State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia said in a post on social platform
“The sooner we address these issues, the better,” Ingoglia said. “The state of Florida should always be at the forefront, especially when it comes to illegal immigration.”
“This is what an autonomous branch of government looks like,” Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo wrote in a post on X.
Mr. DeSantis responded to the criticism by saying: Post to X“Florida state and local officials will aggressively advance the Trump Administration's policies against illegal immigration, and to do so they must secure and approve the necessary funding and resources now.”
“As part of the special session I called on January 27, the week after President Trump was inaugurated, I asked Congress to provide support for detention, relocation, transportation infrastructure, support for local law enforcement, and other needs Florida needs. We're asking you to properly fund this mission.”
Updated at 7:19pm ET.
