OCHOPEE, Fla. — Deep in the Florida Everglades, a detention complex dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” is drawing scrutiny not only for its $250 million price tag but also for who is cashing in.
State officials tout it as a solution to immigration enforcement. But with costs soaring into the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, questions remain: Who is profiting? Who approved the spending? And why are the details hidden from public view?
As Local 10 News and many other news outlets continue pressing for access to documents, attorneys and watchdogs argue the state has turned the project into a windfall for private contractors — many with political ties to Republican donors — through a no-bid procurement process.
A facility born of politics
The project began after the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement, branding mass deportations a campaign promise.
During a July tour of the facility, President Donald Trump declared, “(This is) all because of an open border.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison D. Sheahan put it bluntly: “If you are in this country illegally, you are a criminal.”
At a July 25 news conference, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia doubled down, saying, “I make no apologies for saying illegal immigration is a scourge on this country.”
“This is quintessentially a numbers mission,” said Larry Keefe, state board of immigration enforcement executive director.
The numbers mission stumbled into a capacity issue: A need for more federal detention beds.
“If we get the sign-off from DHS, we can expand detention space very quickly in Florida,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. ”We have hurricanes we end up setting up locations for tens of thousands of linemen, right, do that very, very quickly, so we have the capacity to set it up quickly but we are not going to do that without the approval of the department of homeland security.”
But as officials pushed the need for expanded federal detention space, Florida’s rapid buildout of Alligator Alcatraz came with an extraordinary price tag.
A rush to build
DeSantis said on May 1 that Florida could quickly set up large-scale detention housing if authorized by the Department of Homeland Security.
“We have hurricanes; we end up setting up locations for tens of thousands of linemen, right? … So we have the capacity to set it up quickly," said DeSantis in the press conference.
By late June, construction was underway, and by July 3, detainees were already arriving.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier dubbed the compound “Alligator Alcatraz,” later describing it as “low-cost.”
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said the site was built “incredibly fast,” eventually holding 4,000 detainees.
“You are going to see this really ramp up, especially given DHS’ infusion of cash,” DeSantis said back in July.
No-bid contracts and donor ties
Records reviewed by Local 10 News show contracts worth tens of millions went to private vendors, often through no-bid agreements.
The rapid buildout came with an extraordinary price tag. Records reviewed by Local 10 News show contracts worth tens of millions went to private vendors, often through no-bid agreements.
LTS Inc. received nearly $37 million for roadway and fencing, including more than 28,000 feet of barbed wire.
GardaWorld Federal Services secured $37 million for security staffing.
Critical Response Strategies, a Jacksonville firm, was awarded $78 million for operations.
One of the most prominent awards went to CDR Health Care Inc., which received $17.5 million for a medical facilities buildout.
The company is led by CEO Carlos Duart, an FIU trustee appointed to the university’s board by DeSantis.
Duart, an FIU trustee appointed by DeSantis, and his wife Tina Vidal-Duart are longtime GOP contributors. Tina Vidal-Duart, a former Hope Florida Foundation board member, is also a Republican donor heavyweight.
Vidal-Duart, a former Hope Florida Foundation board member of Hope Florida, launched by the governor’s wife — amid controversy over the legality of a $10 million Medicaid settlement.
Campaign finance records show the couple’s contributions included $3,000 in March of this year to James Uthmeier, DeSantis’ former chief of staff and now the state’s attorney general.
Other contracts included Doodie Calls, a portable toilet company, which won more than $40 million in purchase orders.
SLSCO Ltd., a Texas-based construction firm tied to Trump’s border wall, landed nearly $20 million.
Gothams LLC, an emergency response firm whose founder donated tens of thousands to GOP causes, collected more than $2 million.
“This facility was built with taxpayer money, and from what I understand, they were all no-bid contracts,” said Bobby Block of the Florida First Amendment Foundation. “Emergency powers are invoked often to sidestep these legal requirements.”
Attorney Jim Lake added, “There’s a real interest in understanding why these particular companies were selected, what relationships they have with the state.”
Transparency fight
Despite Florida law requiring contracts to be posted publicly, many agreements tied to Alligator Alcatraz vanished from the state database.
“All of a sudden, those contracts disappeared from the database,” Block said.
Guthrie disputed that characterization, claiming staff removed “proprietary information” and replaced it with summaries.
But Lake countered: “We don’t think that’s good enough. The law entitles the public to see the details about exactly what is being paid for.”
Block went further: “The law is very clear … the entire contract should be up on the database. Unfortunately, politicians realize that information can damage them. It’s like putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank.”
A coalition of media groups, including Local 10 News, is now preparing litigation to obtain the records. “It’s not the media’s tax dollars, it’s the public’s tax dollars that are being spent here,” Lake said.
Ballooning costs and legal battles
By mid-August, Florida had already spent $250 million — more than half of the Department of Homeland Security’s estimated $450 million annual cost.
But a September federal appeals court ruling found Florida has no legal right to reimbursement from Washington.
“To date, the State has no legally enforceable right to reimbursement from the federal government for funds spent on the facility and the federal government has not, in fact, reimbursed FDEM (Florida Division of Emergency Management),” the ruling stated.
The court added: “Florida has not filed an application for federal funds, and neither DHS nor FEMA has formally ”approved a federal award" providing funds for the construction of the facility or reimbursing Florida.”
That leaves taxpayers on the hook not only for construction and operations, but also mounting legal fees.
“The state has hired outside private counsel to defend themselves,” said legal analyst David Weinstein. “Those costs are being indirectly routed back to state taxpayers.”
“And then you also have to consider the costs as these cases go up on appeal. You’ve got the circuit court of appeals where these cases will end up because the losing party is going to take their case there and then ultimately, once there is a decision out of the Eleventh circuit, inevitably one of the parties is going to take it up to the Supreme Court and those are not insignificant legal fees,” he added.
From questions about due process and attorney access to concerns over legal authority and environmental impact, the hastily constructed facility is facing several legal challenges.
Related link: Civil rights attorneys mark victory for Alligator Alcatraz detainees
“In this particular case, the state has hired outside private counsel to defense themselves, as have some of the other federal defendants, and so those costs are being indirectly routed back to state taxpayers,” said Weinstein.
The larger fight
For media advocates, the battle over Alligator Alcatraz is about more than money.
“Without government operating in the open, shortcuts are taken, corruption flourishes and democracy dies,” Block said.
Weinstein agreed: “The media plays a very important role in all of this. You are our eyes and ears to make sure nothing is hidden from us.”
As lawsuits move forward, many question remains unanswered: How much more will Florida taxpayers ultimately pay for Alligator Alcatraz?
“The cost on the environment, what is going to be the cost down the road for that, what if the courts finally agree with what some of the lower courts have said, especially in a case regarding the Everglades themselves and say you now need to put it back to what it was,” said Weinstein.
“You need to restore the Everglades to what it was. What type of damages are we talking about there, what additional costs are going to come in from that?” he asked.
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