Florida house speaker appoints Charlotte County sheriff to state immigration enforcement council

Reporter: Claire Galt Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
charlotte county
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell. Credit: WINK News

Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has appointed two sheriffs, one of whom is Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, to the state immigration enforcement council.

The announcement made on Tuesday aims to reinforce Florida’s commitment to stricter illegal immigration policies.

Prummell and Duval County Sheriff T.K. Waters will join the council’s eight members, including four police chiefs appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, the Chief Financial Officer and Attorney General James Uthmeier.

The four sheriffs were appointed by the President of the Senate, Ben Albritton and the Speaker of the House, Daniel Perez, who each appointed two sheriffs.

The council’s responsibilities include:

  • Advising the Board on the efforts of local law enforcement agencies.
  • Requesting guidance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for training opportunities and strategies to further federal program participation.
  • Provide recommendations on financial resources necessary to aid local law enforcement agencies.
  • Provide recommendations to enhance information sharing.
  • Provide recommendations on strategies to increase the number of available detention beds for use by ICE.

WINK News spoke to Simpson, who told us that Prumell’s job will be to pinpoint which local law enforcement agencies need more money and resources because Simpson said a big part of this statewide immigration crackdown lies with these agencies.

“When local sheriffs or police chiefs work with us, they’re going to have expenses related to that. Well, the legislature gave us, I believe, $250 million to be able to reimburse those local departments for the work that they’re doing. And they’re also obviously challenged with them looking for more beds so that we’ll have a place to store.”

Commissioner Simpson said Prummel will advise the council on where to open those new holding or detention facilities.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office told WINK News that Prumell was traveling, but he did release this statement: “Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that strong law enforcement involvement can have on public safety.”

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