COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke on Wednesday about the reported soon closure of the Everglades detainment facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz“.
DeSantis defended the move to open and run the facility despite the cost to Florida taxpayers.
“It’s made a huge difference,” said DeSantis. “Now, when we opened it in the summer of 2025, it was always intended to be temporary because we were only doing it because the federal government didn’t have the resources to hold these people themselves. Well now they’ve gotten a lot of money over the last nine months, they’ve been able to work and adjust their operations accordingly.”
This comes a day after the New York Times reported Florida and the federal government were in talks regarding closing the facility for good.
It’s reportedly costing Florida a million dollars a day to run the facility.
This is money the state has long said the federal government will reimburse, but that has not happened, at least not yet.
Additionally, there are new reports stating vendors the state pays to run the facility are claiming they have not gotten paid.
One vendor told the New York Times it hasn’t gotten paid in 200 days.
The Florida Senate Democratic leader, Lori Berman of Palm Beach, also spoke about the situation.
“I’m happy to hear reports of its impending closure, but the damage to Florida has already been done,” she said. “This kind of reckless ‘leadership’ from a rogue executive branch needs to be left in the past, and we need to return to a single-minded focus on making Florida more affordable for everyone. Damaging political stunts like this one have no place in our politics.”
All of this happening amid critics denouncing the facility for inhumane conditions for the 1,400 immigrants being detained there, and the ongoing legal battle from environmental groups also denouncing the harm done to the Everglades.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
