Governor DeSantis may walk away from a battle with GOP-led legislature in his state with something of a win after lawmakers’ rare act of open defiance against the popular governor.

After returning to Tallahassee to convene and then quickly adjourn a special session that Mr. DeSantis called to pass new immigration measures, lawmakers started their own session and developed their own bill stripping immigration enforcement authority from the governor. And on Tuesday, the lawmakers passed their bill.

Mr. DeSantis has criticized the legislation as “weak, weak, weak” and signaled he intends to veto it. In a post on X, he wrote, “The bill that narrowly passed the Florida legislature last night fails to honor our promises to voters, fails to meet the moment, and would actually weaken state immigration enforcement.

“The removal of illegal aliens residing in our state requires strong legislation that will guarantee state and local deportation assistance, end catch-and-release, eliminate magnets such as remittances, and adopt supporting policies that will protect Floridians from the scourge of illegal immigration,” he said. “The veto pen is ready.”

Republican lawmakers said they consulted with the White House on revisions to the bill before they passed it. However, Mr. DeSantis pointed out that the bill removes immigration enforcement authority from his office and gives it to Florida’s agriculture department. He said the move “creates a conflict of interest” by giving the enforcement power to an agriculture department that “represents special interests that traditionally oppose strong immigration enforcement.”

Beyond the decision to shift the responsibility for immigration enforcement to the agriculture department, Mr. DeSantis also said the law does not allocate enough resources to assist with the federal government’s deportation efforts.

A veto could give Mr. DeSantis somewhat of a win after the initial snub of ignoring his proposals, as it is unclear whether Republicans, who have veto-proof majorities in both chambers, will have enough support to override his veto. The bill passed the state House 82-30,  clearing the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. All but one Republican in the chamber voted for it.

However, in the Senate, it passed 21-16, with six Republicans voting against it. The Senate president, Ben Albritton, would need to win more than five votes to override the veto. He would have to convince the three Republicans who voted against the bill but are not firmly in Mr. DeSantis’ camp to change their minds, and he would need the help of two Democrats to get the five votes required. 

Democrats who voted against the bill raised an issue with a revision of the bill after Republicans consulted with the Trump administration that makes the death penalty mandatory for illegal immigrants who commit a capital crime. They also did not like a provision of the bill that ends in-state tuition costs for children of illegal immigrants. 

The drama erupted after Mr. DeSantis called a special session of the legislature to consider a series of immigration restrictions. After roughly six years of largely supporting the governor’s agenda and priorities, Republican lawmakers at Tallahassee decided to snub the governor and use the moment as a high-profile act of defiance. 

Legislators gathered at the state Capitol on Monday for the special session Mr. DeSantis called, which they said was “premature.” They quickly convened the session and then adjourned to launch their own special session to take up their own immigration proposals.

The agriculture department commissioner, Wilton Simpson, has had a contentious relationship with the governor. Mr. DeSantis said the decision to give Mr. Simpson immigration enforcement authority “puts the fox in charge of the hen house.” He specifically highlighted Mr. Simpson’s time as the Senate president and accused him of supporting giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. 

However, a state senator who supports giving Mr. Simpson such authority, Joe Gruters, defended him in an interview with Florida’s Voice, saying the agriculture commissioner is “one of the most ethical guys I know.

“If he gets this opportunity, he’s going to be able to prove to Trump that he is worthy of moving up and getting his support for whatever he wants to do,” Mr. Gruters said. 

Mr. DeSantis told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that Republicans in the legislature were trying to “squish out” on immigration matters with their bill as he noted lawmakers made a fuss about the special session. “If they’re all so gung ho about this immigration agenda, why did I have to drag them in? Why did they deride me and say it was a stunt to do this?” he asked. 

Lawmakers had a different explanation for why they chose to defy Mr. DeSantis. Besides arguing that the special session was unnecessary, Republicans voiced discontent with how the governor has handled immigration enforcement. 

In 2022, the legislature approved $12 million for Mr. DeSantis to transport migrants to other states. However, lawmakers say they have not received information on how that money was spent or how many migrants were transported out of the state.

State senator Randy Fine, who is an immigration hardliner, defended the decision to try to shift immigration enforcement away from the governor, suggesting to the Miami Herald that Mr. DeSantis may be overloaded with other responsibilities, “I would say the governor has more to do than Wilton Simpson does.”

If the legislature fails to override Mr. DeSantis’ veto, it could give him an opportunity to claim a victory after the rare spat. It could also signal a new dynamic and a departure from his first six years when lawmakers largely backed his proposals, which helped him garner national attention and cast himself as a leader who “gets things done” and enacts conservative legislation.