Larry Keefe, the first executive director of Florida’s new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, exited his post Tuesday in what the governor’s office says was a planned move.
A former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Keefe’s position will be taken over effective immediately by Anthony Coker, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement liaison to the state of Florida. This comes months after the Legislature created the board to consolidate efforts against undocumented immigration and approve state grants to reimburse state and local law enforcement.
“Larry has done a number of things in our administration over the years, and he has performed at a very high level with honor and integrity, and we really thank him for his service,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Tuesday Cabinet meeting. “I move to approve the appointment of Anthony Coker as executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.”
The three Cabinet members unanimously agreed to Coker’s appointment in the phone call meeting, which lasted under three minutes. These meetings are chaired by DeSantis and include Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Cabinet members are elected statewide and independently of the governor.
READ MORE: Florida AG rolls out new anti-doxxing program for ICE agents
A representative of the governor confirmed that Coker will take over immediately from Keefe, and that this was a “planned transition.” It wasn’t immediately clear where Keefe heads next.
Keefe served as public safety czar in DeSantis’ administration early in his second term, helping to orchestrate migrant flights from Texas to Massachusetts in 2022. He was tapped as executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement on Feb. 17, vowing to be “relentless.”
The board’s new leader, Coker, was announced in June to be the nation’s first state-embedded liaison with ICE.
“We’re excited to be the first state to announce our own ICE agent embed in the state,” Uthmeier said at the time, explaining that Coker would be stationed alongside Florida’s immigration board to support efforts against undocumented immigration, Talk of Titusville reported.
Keefe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
