TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that county elections departments will retain more than $2 million in unspent grant money aimed at stopping cyber-attacks on the state's voting system.
DeSantis announced Monday that unspent money is left over from a $19 million federal grant issued last year and was supposed to be returned. It will be combined with almost $3 million in state funding currently budgeted. The spending comes after it was disclosed last month that the FBI believes Russian hackers breached the voter information files of two Florida counties during the 2016 presidential election.
DeSantis said Secretary of State Laurel Lee, who oversees elections, will work with the 67 county supervisors to determine how the money is divided. He said if more money is needed, he would seek if from the Legislature.