Florida - Wednesday August 28, 2024: Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted Florida’s actions to uphold law and order, protect the state from fentanyl and other illegal drugs, and curb illegal immigration during an update on his administration's public safety efforts Wednesday in Winter Park.
Last year, Governor DeSantis signed legislation establishing the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) grant program, which provides law enforcement with the funding needed to conduct large-scale drug operations across the state.
Florida has also enacted a suite of legislation to crack down on crime, curb illegal immigration, increase penalties for drug and human traffickers, and recruit law enforcement officers to the state.
“Law and order is maintained when leaders insist on enforcing the law," said the Governor. "Florida has enacted legislation to combat crime, recruited police officers from all over the country, refused to allow cities to defund the police, and—when necessary—removed rogue state attorneys who refused to enforce the law.”
In 2023, Governor DeSantis approved $20 million in funding for Florida’s SAFE program administered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This state-funded grant has allowed local law enforcement agencies to effectively fight against drug trafficking and get hundreds of pounds of deadly drugs off our streets.
Examples of SAFE grant success stories include:
- In January 2024, the Polk County Sheriffs Office utilized SAFE to arrest 11 suspects trafficking in fentanyl and cocaine, seizing 30 pounds of cocaine and nearly 8 pounds of fentanyl.
- In March 2024, Santa Rosa and Escambia County Sheriffs’ offices, working alongside the DEA, seized 3 grams of fentanyl, marijuana, prescription pills, and several handguns.
- In April 2024, FDLE operations in conjunction with Sheriffs’ Offices in Seminole and Palm Beach Counties resulted in arrests of nearly 40 drug traffickers.
- In April 2024, officers in the Fort Myers region successfully seized nearly 4kg of cocaine, 90g of fentanyl, 69g of MDMA, 375g of marijuana, two AR-15 weapons, and more than $60,000 in currency.
- In July 2024, FDLE Pensacola, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s offices, Fort Walton Beach Police Department, FHP, and the DEA announced the arrest of 19 drug traffickers facing charges including trafficking in cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute, and racketeering.
- In August 2024, a SAFE-funded investigation dismantled a drug trafficking operation in St. Petersburg which was responsible for manufacturing hundreds of doses of fentanyl daily throughout Polk County, specifically in Lakeland.
- Officers confiscated 10.7 kilos of fentanyl, along with cocaine, oxycodone, marijuana, 3 illegal firearms, and over $500,000 in cash.
In total, SAFE funds have resulted in over 650 arrests and the seizure of more than 145 pounds of fentanyl, 220 pounds of cocaine, and 60,000 fentanyl pills.