Pinellas County Commissioner René Flowers said Tuesday that she will invite Sheriff Bob Gualtieri to address concerns after residents criticized the county jail for releasing and rebooking immigrants to avoid exceeding a 72-hour detention limit.
The question is whether Gualtieri will accept.
“I can’t make him come,” Flowers said during a meeting of the county’s Human Rights Board, which is responsible for ensuring the county complies with laws on discrimination and equal employment opportunity. “But I will extend the invitation to him.”
The Sheriff’s Office did not respond to emails and phone calls from the Times seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.
The board’s meeting followed a recent ProPublica investigation into how local jails in Pinellas and Orange counties detained immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The investigation found that the Pinellas County Jail released and rebooked 174 immigrants at least twice over a one-year period. The Orange County Jail, in Orlando, rebooked 559 immigrants two or more times from July 2025 through early February 2026, according to the report.
Under an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, county jails can hold individuals in federal immigration custody for up to 72 hours. In exchange for housing these individuals, Pinellas is paid a daily per-person fee of $118 by ICE.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to the Times’ questions about the investigation’s findings. ProPublica reported that a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said the county jail does not release and rebook detainees.
The sheriff’s office participates in the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to work with federal immigration authorities. Gualtieri is also one of eight members of the State Immigration Enforcement Council.
Florida law enforcement agencies have made about 26,000 immigration arrests since Aug. 1, 2025, state records show. More than half came through partnerships with ICE. Florida has more of these cooperation agreements than any state but Texas.
Flowers said Tuesday she wants to see if the Human Rights Board has the authority to investigate ProPublica’s findings or if someone must file a formal complaint to start an inquiry.
Residents and local advocates urged the board to take action.
“I am not asking this board to determine anyone’s immigration status or to take a position on immigration enforcement. I am asking a more fundamental question,” said Courtney Prokopas, a community leader and organizer with the League of Women Voters. “Does our local government follow the law and respect human rights when it exercises the power to deprive a person of liberty?”
Cathy O’Gara, of Largo, said she’s frustrated by what she described as “limited accountability” for Gualtieri.
O’Gara, who is a member of Talk to Your Sheriff, an initiative focused on protecting community rights and ending law enforcement cooperation with ICE, said Pinellas residents need more direct access to public officials.
“We only are able to ask Gualtieri questions if he decides to come,” O’Gara said. “That is not acceptable.”
