State Breaks Ground For New Inspection Center in Jackson County
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. - Florida broke ground on a new agriculture inspection site on U.S. 231 in Jackson County on Wednesday morning as part of the state’s immigration crackdown efforts.
The facility is being built at the Alabama state line and will require trucks to stop once crossing into Florida. It will serve as the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement’s 24th Agricultural Inspection Station. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said he has been trying to get a center on this road for years.
“It will be a major step in closing down our border,” Simpson said. “It will close one of the holes in the northern network of roads coming into the state. On the other roads, we’re going to put what we call pull-over lanes in place.”
Florida currently operates 23 agricultural inspection stations strategically located on 19 major highways at the state’s entry and exit points. The stations are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, primarily on major highways in the northern part of the state.
Officials view them as an important tool for immigration enforcement and strengthening Florida’s ability to intercept agricultural pests, unsafe food products, and criminal activity before they enter the state.
The money for the new Jackson County facility was included in the new immigration law approved during a special session in February. Simpson said his officers have caught at least 200 illegal immigrants entering the state during the inspections so far this year.
“Our Agricultural Law Enforcement officers are on the front lines defending Florida,” 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.”
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement was the first law enforcement agency in Florida to have 100% of its sworn law enforcement officers trained in the U.S. ICE 287(g) program. The agency operates as Florida’s first line of border defense, protecting the state’s northern entry points across the panhandle and North Florida.
“We are working closely with the Trump administration, other state law enforcement, and local sheriffs to make sure we are rooting out any criminal activity in the state of Florida,” Simpson said.
Perdue said agriculture inspection stations are important to the state because “they really work hard to keep criminals off of our highway system so it can be safe for Florida residents.”
Once completed, the Agricultural Inspection Station will be home to officers who will patrol roadways entering Florida from Alabama and Georgia. These officers will proactively serve communities across the region and work alongside local, state, and federal partners to enhance public safety.
Simpson said the new facility serves purposes beyond enforcing immigration laws.
“Bugs, drugs or thugs. We do not need to have anything come into our state to contaminate our local agriculture,” Simpson said.
The inspection site is expected to open about this time next year.