Ron DeSantis spent $1.2m per day to open and operate Alligator Alcatraz'

"Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican governor, spent $1.2m of taxpayers' money per day to open and operate the notorious immigration jail known as Alligator Alcatraz, court records obtained by the independent investigative news website the Florida Tributary reveal. A switch in position by Donald Trump's administration also now looks likely to leave Florida on the hook for at least $608m spent on the harsh Everglades detention and deportation facility and other immigration jails."

"[Florida] took the risk (and still does) that federal funding will not materialize, Uthmeier and fellow defendants conceded in a court filing in a lawsuit brought by Friends of the Everglades and a number of other environmental and civil rights groups. Promised funds are still only likely."

"The department indicated its lawyers had reviewed grant program rules for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and determined that it could disallow some or all of the grant request made by the Florida department of emergency management (Fdem) that operates Alligator Alcatraz. Crucially, the documents show that Fema may not reimburse Fdem for construction costs, and may ultimately disallow the requested costs altogether."

Governor Ron DeSantis spent $1.2 million per day of taxpayer money to operate Alligator Alcatraz, a controversial immigration detention facility in the Everglades. Court records reveal Florida may not receive promised federal reimbursement for approximately $608 million in facility costs. DeSantis had claimed in September that federal funds would cover expenses, but his administration later admitted the reimbursement was uncertain. The Justice Department indicated FEMA could disallow some or all of the grant request, including construction costs. This funding dispute is central to an ongoing lawsuit by environmental and civil rights groups seeking to permanently close the detention facility.

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