Jerry Demings: ‘We were put in a tough spot’ as he caves over fears of Gov. DeSantis interference

Jerry Demings speaks Aug. 1, 2025 on immigration fight.

Orlando County Mayor Jerry Demings admitted he felt forced to sign the updated federal immigrant agreement because he feared Gov. Ron DeSantis would “insert his minions” into the county leadership, sending the county into chaos.

“Yes, I signed the damn thing because we really had to. We were put in a tough spot. I can’t let our entire Board of County Commissioners and myself be removed from office,” Demings said speaking to the media Friday. “I signed under protest in extreme duress … but I think that it was the right thing at the right time.”

The contract goes to the full County Board Tuesday for approval.

Earlier Friday morning, Demings signed the controversial addendum which allows Orange County Correctional Officers to transport immigration detainees to immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, which could be as far as Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades.

Shortly after Demings signed the agreement, DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier held a press conference Friday in Orange County although they said little on the standoff with Demings. The press conference announced a new immigration unit in the Florida Highway Patrol.

Demings said he did not have any direct knowledge that DeSantis arrived into town to announce his removal, but the Mayor seemed to allude that was a concern.

It would not be the first time DeSantis targeted removing an elected official in Orange County, one of the bluest parts of Florida. In 2023, he suspended Orange-Osceola County State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Democrat, from office, a move Democrats criticized as political. Demings, who is a former Sheriff and Police Chief, is also a Democrat.

Demings also gave more insight into why he had pushed back against the contract in the first place.

“The agreement was really written for law enforcement agencies, not for correctional agencies. It just so happens that we are one of the few counties in the state of Florida that manages and operates the jail. In most cases, it’s the sheriffs,” Demings said. “One size does not fit all.’

He warned the Orange County Jail employs 880 certified corrections officers but also has 212 vacancies. Sending them four-plus hours to drive ICE detainees to South Florida leaves the county understaffed and at risk, Demings insisted. 

“It is our responsibility to make sure that the jail is safe every day, 24 hours a day, for those persons who are in our care and custody,” Demings said. “ I don’t have to tell you that the men and women who work at that jail, it is my responsibility as the CEO for this county to make sure that they are safe.”

Demings said he signed the contract under advice from the county attorney after he received Uthmeier’s letter threatening to have him removed from office in the postal mail Friday — days after Uthmeier posted the letter on his social media.

“As we move forward collaboratively, I hope we get to a better place,” Demings said. “I want our citizens to understand that we will continue to fight for what is right, but we’ll do so very strategically.”

When asked Demings what message he would like to give DeSantis, Demings said, “We are not enemies.”

“Local governments are subdivisions of the state. Our state officials and governors should act like it. They should remember that we are part of the state of Florida. The state of Florida works best when we work in collaboration across political lines.”