‘Alligator Alcatraz’ conversion could cost Florida $218M
The state of Florida could lose $218 million after a judge ordered the closure of the “Alligator Alcatraz,” a detention facility based in the Everglades that was once a remove training airport.
The site was created with funding from the Florida Division of Emergency Management and was quickly retrofitted to house individuals detained for federal immigration purposes.
Its permanent closure could cost the Sunshine State $15 million to $20 million immediately, and another $15 million to $20 million to reinstall structures if Florida is allowed to reopen it, according to court filings as reported by the Associated Press.
The AP said a state official in court papers said the Florida Division of Emergency Management could lose most of the value of the $218 million it has invested in making the airport suitable for a detention center.
Detainees have reported a series of health hazards including bathrooms flooded with feces, limited access to legal resources and a lack of food.
Officials told the wire there would soon be no remaining inmates at “Alligator Alcatraz” as detainees, portable bathrooms and other items were swiftly being removed to comply with court orders.
However, state leaders have already signed at least $405 million in vendor contracts after allocating $245 million for site management in July, according to the AP.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP governors in 22 other states have urged the courts to overturn a late August ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an appointee of former President Obama, to halt operations at the detention center.
The group argued that the state is not subject to federal environmental regulations because it’s not a federal agency.
“Alligator Alcatraz” is housed in the Florida’s sensitive wetlands which houses special species. Williams said in her ruling that generators, gas, sewage, and other waste creates “irreparable harm in the form of habitat loss and increased mortality to endangered species in the area.”
Additionally, it blocks Miccosukee Tribe members from accessing the land.
President Trump touted the site’s seclusion from society and the dangerous path required to escape the facility in July as a prime location for illegal immigrants to be detained while awaiting additional court hearings or removal.
But in her 82 page ruling, Williams said the state of Florida did not present evidence that outlined “why this detention camp, in this particular location, is uniquely suited and critical.”
She said officials also failed to provide statistics on the number of violent offenders detained at the site and “could not directly testify that even one of the detainees had a criminal record, much less a record of violent crimes necessitating their seclusion from society in the Everglades.”
DeSantis has pledged to push back against the site’s closure while lauding the opening of another detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot” in the state at Baker Correctional Institution.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.