8.28.25
The state of Florida is committed to $245 million toward the construction of "Alligator Alcatraz," the Everglades immigration detention facility which is due to close in days. An email obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday from Kevin Guthrie, head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, indicates the facility will likely soon be empty, after a federal judge ruled it must cease to operate. Having to close the new Florida detention facility would be a blow to both Governor DeSantis and the Trump administration, and would show that one of the main impediments to White House policy continues to be the courts. Figures published by Florida officials show the state has signed contracts worth at least $245 million to companies for work at the new Florida detention facility, which was constructed by repurposing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee. The largest single contract, at $78.5 million, went to Jacksonville based Critical Response Strategies which is responsible for hiring corrections officers, camp managers and IT personnel. Longview Solutions Group was awarded $25.6 million for site preparation and construction while IT company Gothams has a $21.1 million contract to provide services including access badges and detainee wristbands.
Some of the contract details were later removed from Florida's public database, sparking criticism from Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani. Florida officials said some of their spending would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the Trump administration has said in a court filing it has had nothing to do with funding of the facility, according to CBS: "Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority." The filing also says: "DHS (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) has not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida's temporary detention center." The facility was expected to cost $450 million to operate each year after construction, according to CNN.