Florida’s immigration battle may be over soon. But will Republicans’ good times last?

TALLLAHASSEE, Florida — The standoff between the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis over illegal immigration may be coming to a close. But a new era for the state's governing party is just beginning.

Despite a contentious intraparty civil war party that turned hostile at times online, Republican legislative leaders and the governor crafted a sweeping new proposal behind closed doors that aims to help President Donald Trump carry out his massive deportation effort.

This type of compromise negotiation had fallen out of fashion in Florida recently, as DeSantis enjoyed unprecedented sway and was able to push legislators to follow his lead. The question now is whether it will continue — and how it will shape the upcoming legislative session, where DeSantis has both budget recommendations and additional high-profile policy pushes on the line.

The final legislation expected to be passed this week includes items that DeSantis wanted. But it also had notable changes, including eliminating the ability of the governor to unilaterally transport migrants out of state like he famously did in 2022, when the state shipped migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard.

“We have shown the world we are serious about the legislative branch, we have shown the world we can think for ourselves,” state Senate President Ben Albritton said Tuesday morning at an annual Florida Chamber of Commerce event held in Tallahassee.

Legislative leaders — and more notably DeSantis — have hailed the new immigration proposals as the toughest in the country, even though some measures appear destined to draw legal challenges.

When announcing the deal, the acid-tinged commentary of the past few weeks evaporated. Albritton, along with House Speaker Daniel Perez, thanked DeSantis, while the governor also praised legislators for moving ahead.

“All in all, I think this is really, really strong,” DeSantis said in a video he posted on social media. “I commend the Legislature for stepping up to the plate.”

It was a turnabout from recent weeks.

Before Trump took office, DeSantis called for legislators to hold a special session in late January to consider immigration enforcement changes, among other major issues.

Legislative leaders said the special session was “premature” but eventually opted to reject DeSantis' own immigration proposal. Lawmakers passed an alternative bill that the governor called “weak” and vowed to veto.

DeSantis directed much of his ire at a plan to strip him of immigration enforcement duties and instead hand them over to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a Republican who may run for governor next year. He said giving Simpson control was like putting a “fox in charge of the hen house,” suggesting that the commissioner would cave to powerful agricultural interests that want cheap labor.

The compromise resulted in Simpson and DeSantis sharing enforcement power along with two other state officials, alongside a provision that gives any one of them veto power.

In addition, the law would require the state to coordinate with federal authorities before shipping anyone out of the state. DeSantis got national publicity after the state flew nearly 50 migrants from Texas. State Sen. Joe Gruters said the governor didn’t need the power to do that unilaterally anymore.

“President Trump has already closed the borders. There’s no need for the political-type events like that anymore, and so it’s completely irrelevant,” Gruters said.

But Albritton made it clear that, even though legislative leaders and DeSantis have brokered a deal on immigration, not all is forgiven. On the Senate floor, he lashed out at DeSantis supporters and allies who had trashed Simpson as the standoff simmered for nearly two weeks.

“The threats against Commissioner Simpson must stop now,” Albritton said.

The Legislature’s power plays may not be over yet. Perez gave the green-light late last week for several House panels to examine budget vetoes made last year by DeSantis.

Lawmakers late last month voted to override two 2023 budget vetoes, the first time a sitting GOP governor had been successfully overridden by a Republican-controlled Legislature during their 25 years of control. The state Senate, however, isn’t following the House on additional vetoes for now.

For some lawmakers, though, it all points to a new day in Tallahassee. DeSantis became a conservative star during the Covid-19 pandemic and launched closely watched battles over gender and racial identity ahead of his unsuccessful bid for president.

“I think the real victory was getting him to realize that there’s two branches of government: the executive branch and the legislative branch,” said state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, a Melbourne Republican who is currently suing the DeSantis administration over an election dispute. “And for so long, we have been treated like staff.”

State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the House Democratic leader, said it appeared to her that DeSantis “negotiated himself back into the picture.”

“And so we didn't, we didn't land in the position where the governor controls it all,” Driskell said. “So that lets you know a little something in terms of him being a lame duck and his power starting to wane, but we also see that he still has some influence.”

Strong supporters of DeSantis downplayed the idea that the governor, who still has line-item budget veto power, is now a lame duck who won’t continue to push the Legislature. DeSantis has two more years in office and cannot run for another term.

“The bottom line is that this governor has sort of been super aggressive with pushing conservative policies,” said state Sen. Blaise Ingolia. “And, you know, sometimes you have to drag people along. …The governor still has very good policy and political radar. He knows what people are going to want out of the Legislature. So, from now on until the time he’s termed out of office, I don't see him turning off the spigot.”

Rep. Mike Caruso, a Delray Beach Republican, said he felt “vindicated” over where legislators have landed on the immigration bills. Caruso was the lone House Republican who voted against the previous bill passed by the House. Perez stripped Caruso’s committee chairmanship after the vote. He contended that the bill that will likely pass this week is close to legislation he had initially introduced on behalf of the governor.

“We come here and we bring our principles with us, and, you know, we got to live by our principles, and that's what I was doing,” Caruso said. “I had my own opinion on it, and it was based on my principles, and I wasn't going to yield to pressure. … I found it strange that others didn't feel the same way.”

Kimberly Leonard contributed to this report.