Six months in, Florida's "emergency" porta-potty bill is up to $92.7 million — and the audits required by state law? Yeah, those are still missing.
In February we wrote about Doodie Calls, the St. Petersburg porta-potty company that walked off with $92,765,075.38 from Florida's emergency fund in nine payments. We thought that was the punchline.
Reader, that was the setup.
Pinellas County taxpayers — yes, you, helping fund a porta-potty contract bigger than most municipal budgets — should know what's happened since. The receipts have only gotten more interesting. (Orlando Sentinel via Maxwell, 2026)
💰 The New Numbers
When Florida Phoenix first reported the spending in February, the figure was $405.6 million in six months. By March, it climbed:
- $573 million — total spent on immigration enforcement from the state emergency fund since 2022
- $1.2 million per day — burn rate at "Alligator Alcatraz" alone
- $34 million — what Florida spent on tech and IT at the Everglades facility (more on that in a separate post)
- Zero — number of statutorily-required audits the public has been allowed to see
That last one is the one nobody's talking about. (Florida Phoenix, March 1, 2026)
📋 What the Law Actually Requires
Florida statute requires the Division of Emergency Management to produce regular audits of emergency expenditures. The "emergency" trust fund DeSantis has been running through has been active since 2022. The audits are supposed to be public.
They aren't.
When the Orlando Sentinel's Scott Maxwell asked for them, the state's response was, paraphrased: we'll get back to you. We're still waiting.
🚪 The Legislature Finally Pushed Back
Here's the part that surprised people: the GOP-controlled Legislature — the one that has rubber-stamped most of DeSantis's agenda for years — clawed back his emergency powers before the regular session ended.
SB 7040, the final bill of the 2026 regular session, did three things:
- Capped the executive's ability to spend from the emergency fund without legislative approval
- Required regular spending reports to both chambers
- Mandated legislative sign-off for certain large contracts
The bill passed both chambers, both with GOP majorities. (WUSF, March 15, 2026)
When your own party tells you to slow down on the emergency-power binge, the binge was probably real.
🎯 Why It Matters in Pinellas County
Doodie Calls is based in St. Petersburg. The lobbyist tied to the contract is connected to a familiar local network. Pinellas tax dollars flowed to Pinellas pockets — but only one set of Pinellas pockets.
Meanwhile in Pinellas:
- St. Pete affordable housing waitlists average 18-24 months
- The Skyway Flats project (174 affordable units) is still pending funding
- Pinellas County's homeless population hasn't dropped meaningfully since 2024
$92 million pays for a lot of housing units. It also pays for an unusual number of porta-potties.
✊ What You Can Do From Pinellas County
1. Demand the audits. Florida's Auditor General has a public records portal.
- File a public records request: flauditor.gov
- Reference: FDEM emergency fund expenditures FY2024-2026
2. Call your state senator. SB 7040 was a start, not a finish.
- Sen. Nick DiCeglie (SD-18, North Pinellas): (850) 487-5018
- Sen. Ed Hooper (SD-21, Pasco/Pinellas): (850) 487-5021
Suggested script:
"Hi, I'm a constituent in Pinellas County. I appreciate the Senator's vote on SB 7040 to curtail emergency-fund abuse. I'm calling to ask the Senator to push for public release of the FDEM audits required by statute. Thank you."
3. Track the money yourself. Florida Phoenix and the Orlando Sentinel are the two outlets actually reporting these numbers. Bookmark both.
4. Share this post. The state is hoping you'll forget by the next news cycle.
Sources: Florida Phoenix — $405M in 6 months | Orlando Sentinel — Maxwell column | WUSF — emergency powers curtailed | WLRN | Florida Trib — $1.2M/day