Fresh Take Florida
City leaders in Fort Myers abruptly reversed course Friday after threats from Governor and Attorney General and voted to allow police officers in this city in southwest Florida to enforce federal immigration laws.
The City Council, which earlier in the week had blocked the measure in a 3-3 vote, passed it unanimously despite protests from residents who warned that it would instill fear and distrust.
The reversal was the first such action stemming from threats by state Republican leaders.
The new vote came after Attorney General, James Uthmeier, threatened to remove the Council members from office and declared that the vote made Fort Myers a sanctuary city – one that outwardly denies cooperation with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. Uthmeier is the former chief of staff to the Governor.
“Fix this problem or face the consequences,” Uthmeier wrote on social media.
Likewise, Gov. Ron DeSantis had warned the city that it was required under a new state law passed earlier this year by the GOP-controlled Legislature to participate in federal immigration enforcement.
“Govern yourselves accordingly,” DeSantis wrote on social media.
Rep. Byron Donalds from nearby Naples called the earlier vote “atrocious,” saying the council members had endangered city residents. Donalds is the candidate for Governor in 2026 backed by President Donald Trump.
The city approved the law enforcement memorandum unanimously Friday. It allows officers of the Fort Myers Police Department to act as agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That includes the power to make arrests without warrants, conduct border searches and detain people or seize belongings, and follow federal immigration rules for using force during arrests.
Earlier in the week, council members Diana Giraldo, Darla Bonk and Terolyn Watson voted against the measure, expressing concerns about racial profiling and Fourth Amendment violations. Giraldo is a Republican, Bonk is not affiliated with a political party and Watson is a Democrat.
Bonk on Friday said the FBI had been investigating threats against her and her family since the vote.
“We, as council members, were put in the position of voting on a matter that was not within our legal authority or jurisdiction, the actions subjected us public servants to unnecessary grave, personal and professional risk,” she said. “We were never told this vote could expose us to becoming labeled as a sanctuary city despite the city’s continued lawful cooperation with ICE.”
After Friday’s new vote, Fort Myers joins over 100 other agencies in Florida to accept law enforcement agency partnerships with ICE. The council members said they still have questions – including whether their earlier vote broke any laws.
Before voting “yes” on the memorandum, Giraldo asked City Attorney Grant Alley whether the councilors violated any laws by previously voting against it.
His response: “It’s very not clear.”
He said that he would advise the council to write to the Attorney General asking whether they were in violation, but since Uthmeier wrote to them, Alley said Uthmeier’s letter should hold true and “be given great weight.”
The memorandum also includes a non-discrimination clause, which will prevent any discriminatory practices, Alley said.
“There’s anti-discrimination now, it’s in the documents,” he said. “So does discrimination occur? It has certainly occurred in the past, and let’s hope it doesn’t occur in the future.”
Residents at Friday’s meeting opposed the measure. Nearly all cited fear in the community.
Paige Cooper, 54, of Fort Myers said voting “yes” on this ICE partnership would mean instilling fear, not trust, in local law enforcement agencies.
“People will stop calling 911, for help, because they won’t know who will show up: police, ICE, police acting as ICE, and fear will replace trust in our police, and that is never safe for any community,” she said. “Across our country, the world is watching.”
Other speakers called the memorandum a part of a bigger action: mass deportation by the Trump Administration.
At the microphone, 23-year-old Fort Myers resident Cielo Zenteno was silenced, her microphone shut off, by Mayor Kevin Anderson as she spoke. Her voice leveled up to scream as she finished her allotted three minutes of speaking time.
“What the administration is doing is posturing and trying to garner support through fear to create a problem,” Zenteno said. “Anyone with civic responsibility would want a basic promise, do not harm my community. Immigrants, legal or not, are part of this community.”
When other speakers attempted to praise the three council members who originally voted against the memorandum or cite the response from Uthmeier or DeSantis, the mayor interjected and ordered them to stay on topic.
After the vote started, Giraldo said that while she and the council have never opposed collaborating with any law enforcement agency, all they can do is support the police department and provide accountability and transparency.
“It is what it is,” she said.
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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at [email protected]. You can donate to support our students here.
