These Florida Democrats Voted in Favor of $12M Budget To Relocate Migrants

Eleven Democratic members of the Florida State Senate voted in favor of the state's current budget that allocates $12 million for transporting undocumented migrants out of the state.

Governor Ron DeSantis' re-election campaign has taken aim at Democrats who criticized the Republican for flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard using funds provided in that budget.

Christina Pushaw, director of Rapid Response for the campaign, pointed out on Twitter that Democratic State Senator Annette Taddeo had voted for the budget after she called the relocation plan "cruel."

Pushaw shared information on the state Senate's vote from March 14, which showed Taddeo among the 33 senators who passed the appropriations bill for 2022/23, also known as HB 5001.

DeSantis War Room, a Twitter account also dedicated to rapid response for the campaign, noted that Florida Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book had voted in favor of the budget.

Book had tweeted that DeSantis' "puzzling decision to spend money from our state budget to send migrants to Martha's Vineyard is lacking in compassion and it may even violate the law."

On March 14, the state Senate voted 33 to zero to approve a conference report that reconciled the versions of the 2022/23 budget previously passed by the state House and Senate. Six senators did not vote, and DeSantis signed the budget on June 2.

The Democratic senators who voted in favor of the budget were:

Loranne Ausley

Lori Berman

Lauren Book

Gary Farmer

Audrey Gibson

Jason W.B. Pizzo

Bobby Powell

Darryl Ervin Rouson

Linda Stewart

Annette Taddeo

Victor M. Torres, Jr.

Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book issued a statement to Newsweek on Friday.

"Lets be clear: Democrats did not vote for this, we do not support this, and messaging to the contrary from DeSantis's campaign is deliberately false and misleading to distract from the fact that the Governor's ill-conceived political stunt has drawn ire from both sides of the aisle," Book said.

"These are people, not political pawns," she said. The DeSantis administration's calculated decision to treat Venezuelan migrants and asylum-seekers like cattle – rounding up men, women, and children under fraudulent promises of employment, shelter, and a better life – was a fly-by-night publicity stunt that has laid bare the callousness and extreme overreach of our state's top executive."

"Basic human decency is not a partisan issue, and the actions of the Governor have rightly alarmed Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. I am in the process of obtaining answers for exactly what happened, why, and how," Book said.

Book has also sent a formal letter to the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) seeking information on the decision to send migrants to Martha's Vineyard.

The budget also passed the Florida State House with a huge bipartisan majority earlier that day, with a vote of 105 to three and 12 members not voting. The three no votes came from Democratic Representatives Michael Grieco and Dotie Joseph, as well as Republican Representative Anthony Sabatini.

Republicans control 76 seats in the state House compared to Democrats' 42 seats.

Florida's $109.9 billion state budget contains $12 million to "transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations," in line with federal law.

Documents available on DeSantis' website on immigration say: "The Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget creates a $12 million program within the Florida Department of Transportation to facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens out of Florida."

DeSantis has been strongly criticized for his decision to fly two planes of undocumented migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the matter.

At a press conference on Thursday, DeSantis criticized President Joe Biden for allowing "millions and millions of people" to enter the U.S. illegally, as well as drugs such as fentanyl.

"If you have folks that are inclined to think Florida is a good place, our message to them is, we are not a sanctuary state, and it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction," the governor said. "And yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures."

Update 09/17/22 03.20a.m. E.T.: This article was updated to include a statement from Lauren Book.