A panel of the Florida Legislature agreed Friday to distribute more than $105 million in federal dollars to shield FIFA World Cup matches in Miami from unmanned drones and other attacks.
The money, which comes from various federal programs, will go to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to secure the seven summer matches scheduled for Miami Gardens鈥� Hard Rock Stadium.
FDEM received $73.6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and an additional $15.5 million from the federal Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program for the project.
The lion鈥檚 share, $63 million, will reimburse local law enforcement agencies for overtime costs.
All dollars will go to Miami-Dade County, which will decide the best ways to implement security measures and prevent illegal drones flying overhead.
READ MORE: FIFA under fire: Miami labor unions allege broken promises, 鈥榖latant violations' ahead of World Cup
FDLE, meanwhile, received more than $16.2 million from FEMA for similar purposes.
鈥淭his is for purchase of equipment to detect and mitigate the threat of drones 鈥� flying into areas that FDLE has been requested to try to protect,鈥� FDLE鈥檚 general chief of staff, Tim Fitzgerald, told the joint Legislative Budget Commission during Friday鈥檚 afternoon meeting. The panel is authorized to approve expenditures when the Legislature isn鈥檛 in session.
The heightened security is partially because fans at the final two years ago stormed the stadium鈥檚 gates, resulting in 27 arrests, 55 ejections, and numerous injuries.
The federal funding comes two months ahead of the first World Cup game in Miami, which is scheduled for June 15. There鈥檒l be six more, including a quarterfinal on July 11 as the city鈥檚 final match. Mexico and Canada, along with 10 other U.S. cities, will host the tournament.
The World Cup, the United States鈥� first since the women鈥檚 competition in 2003, has been mired in immigration- and war-related controversy. The humanitarian group Amnesty International in March warned foreign fans of an alleged 鈥渉uman rights emergency鈥� in the United States due to its hardline anti-illegal immigration policies and loose leash on its ICE agents.
President Trump in June passed a travel ban on a host of foreign citizens, and in January expanded the decree to stop immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, the Council on Foreign Relations .
Haiti, Iran, the Ivory Coast, and Senegal are all scheduled to play in the United States. All fall under Trump鈥檚 travel ban. These fans won鈥檛 be able to attend the U.S. games.
Reuters in reported that U.S. officials should be on guard for potential terrorist attacks on fans or at the games, potentially due to civil unrest over immigration policies and the Iran war.
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