TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis was at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday in Titusville when he answered questions about Alligator Alcatraz.
DeSantis said the federal reimbursement for the cost of the immigration detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport was approved.
Receiving the federal funds will take time, DeSantis said. The detention center opened on July 3 as a network of air-conditioned tents.
“We knew it was going to be temporary,” DeSantis said.
The news conference was to announce reductions in fentanyl overdoses and a request to lawmakers to approve the budget for correctional officers and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Earlier this month, during a news conference in Lakeland, DeSantis said the facility may wind down operations.
“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said.
Watch the news conference
Governor DeSantis Highlights Florida’s Progress in Reducing Opioid Overdose Deaths https://t.co/wBxv8TaCC4
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 13, 2026
Related report: US overdose deaths fell again in 2025, but some worry about policy and drug supply changes
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