ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia unveiled a list of legislative priorities Wednesday aimed at “disincentivizing” illegal immigration through new restrictions on financial services, licensing, and employment practices.
Speaking at the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, Ingoglia presented eight new proposed laws that would tighten regulations across multiple sectors, from banking to commercial driving.
“It is something we continue to battle,” Ingoglia said, adding that immigration-related issues “have been festering for over 50 years.”
Ingoglia said several of the presented items stem from issues he has seen across the state. Others, he said, may not be actively occurring, but he wants to ensure they do not in the future.
Here are the proposals:
- Banning illegal immigrants from receiving down payment assistance from both government and non-government organizations
- Prohibiting licenses from the Department of Financial Services for individuals without legal status
- Requiring all commercial driving license procedures to be conducted exclusively in English
- Removing illegal immigrants as covered employees from the Workers’ Compensation statute.
- Requiring a company to use E-Verify for Workers’ Compensation payments.
- Making employers directly responsible for workers’ compensation claims if they hire an illegal immigrant hurt on the job.
- Stops illegal immigrants from opening accounts at state-chartered financial institutions
- Forcing illegal immigrants’ insurance companies to accept fault if an illegal immigrant is involved in a car accident in Florida.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick expressed strong support for the initiatives, revealing that his department has already transferred over 550 individuals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation this year.
“I was in disbelief that some of this stuff goes on in America and the great state of Florida,” Hardwick said. “We are all in.”
The sheriff added that over 100 deputies are completing specialized immigration enforcement training. “
If you give us the creds, you give us the education, you give us the tools, our deputy sheriffs in St. Johns County will do the mission," he said. “We will do it above and beyond.”
State Representative Kiyan Michael joined the press conference to share a personal story. She said her son died in a car crash in Jacksonville in 2007.
“This was 100% preventable,” she said.
Adding that her son was killed in a crash involving a “twice-deported” individual.
“This happens to real people,” she said. “That’s someone’s child. That could be your child, God forbid.”
Michael will sponsor the House version of the bill as it progresses. On the Senate side, State Senator Jonathan Martin will lead that bill.
He said during his time as a prosecutor, he took an interest in public safety on the roadways.
“There are way too many life-altering car crashes that are caused by those who should not be on our roadways,” he said. “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars every single year in this country to make sure that we can travel safer, and what do we do? We give the keys and we give a license and we give insurance to individuals who cannot read English.”
Ingoglia indicated this is part of a long-term strategy to address illegal immigration in Florida.
“We should have a bill every year because no matter what we have on paper, they’re going to find a way around it,” he said.
The CFO said that while supporting legal immigration, his office will continue to crack down on illegal activities.
The proposed legislation has both Senate and House sponsors, with supporters aiming to pass the measures during the current legislative session.