Florida Agricultural Commissioner Wilton Simpson recently announced a plan led by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to build a new interdiction station just south of the Alabama border on U.S. Highway 231 to enhance the state's ability to intercept agricultural pests, apprehend dangerous food products, and identify possible criminal activity on semi-trucks using X-ray technology before crossing the state line.
“Our Agricultural Law Enforcement officers are on the front lines defending Florida,” Wilton Simpson said. “Agricultural Law Enforcement officers are not just looking for bugs — they’re also looking for drugs and thugs. Thanks to Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, we’re expanding our reach and strengthening our borders with this new inspection station and additional enforcement resources.”
According to the commissioner's office, the new building will serve as a patrolling station for the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement Officers (OALE) to detect possible illegal cargo coming into Florida from Alabama and Georgia in an effort to improve public safety.
Notably, OALE officers were the first law enforcement agency in the state to be universally trained under Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) 287(g) program, which authorizes immigration enforcement.
The announcement also comes after an illegal alien truck driver with a California commercial driver's license killed three people after allegedly making an illegal U-turn on Florida's Turnpike back in August.
Specifically, the new Agricultural Inspection Station will be located in Jackson County, which is on the state's northwestern border with Alabama. It will also be Florida's 24th station, with the rest strategically located on 19 major highways near the state's entry and exit points.
All stations are also open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Along with Commissioner Simpson, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, Jackson County Sheriff Donald L. Edenfield, and other law enforcement partners assisted in breaking ground on the facility this week.
