State lawmakers are expected to discuss immigration policies at length at a special session called by the governor. Monday’s session comes days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed the importance of taking a tough stance on the issue in the wake of the past presidential election that returned Donald Trump to the White House. “We are not approaching the new administration in a lackadaisical fashion. We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission,” said DeSantis. The mission, according to the governor, is to tackle illegal immigration. Lawmakers will discuss the means to do so during the special session that’s taking place weeks before the regular session is set to begin in March. “We need to act, and we need to act quickly,” said DeSantis. Sunday afternoon, a slew of bills were introduced mirroring some of the governor’s list of proposals. They include: Requiring state and local law enforcement to ensure 10% can perform as immigration officers. Requiring a person registering to vote to affirm citizenship and legal residence. Creating an “Office of Secure Florida.” Reversing in-state tuition for currently qualifying, undocumented students who have lived in Florida at least three years and graduated from high school in the state. The sponsor of the in-state tuition bill was Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez. It was signed by then Gov. Rick Scott. “It’s a great day for all our students that want to live the American dream,” said Scott at the time. However, in a social media post over the weekend, Nuñez wrote, “It’s time to repeal this law. It has served its purpose and run its course.” A bill filed by Florida State Sen. Randy Fine would ban competitive Florida universities with more applications than available seats from enrolling undocumented students. “Why should an American, or a Floridian, lose a spot at the University of Florida or Florida State to someone who shouldn’t even be in our country?” said Fine. But not all state lawmakers are on the same page with DeSantis’ push to stem illegal immigration in the Sunshine State. “Florida has always been very proactive when it comes to, for example, many years ago, we banned sanctuary cities,” said Florida State Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez. “We’ve done our own thing as far as, you know, keeping the state safe, from our perspective, so I don’t see the rush.” “The governor is – he’s shifting the state resources for a plan that does nothing to address the real safety concerns that I believe we are dealing with right now within our state,” said Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones. “The special session really isn’t about keeping us safer; it’s about pushing a national political agenda.” The governor is also calling lawmakers to address condominium reform and the process of amending the Florida Constitution. Voters considered two amendments in 2024 on legalizing marijuana and abortion rights. Both fell short of passage. One change, though, would make it more difficult for voters to sign petitions to get such initiatives on the ballot. “This is, this is absolutely – no one asked for it, let’s say that, no one asked for it,” said Jones. “and this is, once again, an overreach, what the governor is doing.” Some are asking why can’t these issues wait until the regular session. “I can tell you the members, privately, are telling us that they want to get to work,” said DeSantis. “I’m perplexed by the entire thing,” said Fine. “I personally would like to see more reform in the insurance arena. I think that’s something that Floridians have been clamoring for,” said Rodriguez. “It’s a waste of money, it’s a waste of time, when we have a session that starts on March 4th,” said Jones.