Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” shutting down permanently, sources say
(CBS NEWS) – According to CBS, companies hired by the state to operate the Florida immigration facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” were notified Monday morning to begin “full demobilization” of the facility, quietly bringing an ignominious close a $1.2 billion experiment that had once been hailed by Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump as a model other states should pursue, four sources familiar with the operations of the detention center told CBS News Miami.
“All vendors got the notice,” one source explained.
The announcement was made by Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s Emergency Management director, during a morning conference call with the vendors.
Guthrie told the vendors that he expected “significant progress by Wednesday” on clearing the site, according to one source.
The final few detainees left the facility last week, either being transferred to other detention centers or deported to third countries.
Federal and state officials at the time said it was due to safety concerns over the start of hurricane season.
They even suggested the facility would remain ready to take on new detainees.
In fact, officials familiar with the plan told CBS News Miami that it was always the intention to begin full demobilization by taking down fencing and removing trailers and other structures built at the site located in the middle of the Florida Everglades.
Each vendor at Alligator Alcatraz has a “demobilization” clause built into their contract. By invoking that clause, the state has triggered two key components to those contracts.
First, it allows the companies to charge the state a “demobilization fee” that will likely run into tens of millions of dollars. And second, it marks the end of each company’s involvement with the facility.
For most of the companies it was welcome news, as many are owed millions of dollars.
That demobilization effort is expected to take approximately one week, and once it is completed, the site is expected to eventually reopen as a small airport used to train pilots.
The decision to close the facility has been speculated for the past two months, with even DeSantis saying he expected it to close soon.
“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said earlier this month during a press conference.
DeSantis recently said upwards of 22,000 individuals were cycled through Alligator Alcatraz.
Conditions at the detention center have been harshly criticized by lawyers, families and human rights groups, who claimed detainees were routinely mistreated.
Amnesty International issued a highly critical report on conditions inside the facility.
Ultimately, though, the decision to close Alligator Alcatraz was due primarily to the escalating cost of operating the facility. The total cost for the detention center is now estimated to be $1.2 billion.
Opened on July 3, 2025, during last year’s hurricane season, the detention center was the brainchild of DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and built using state tax money.
At the time, DeSantis maintained that the state would be reimbursed by the federal government for all of its expenses.
However, that funding has yet to come through. State officials submitted a $608 million request at the end of last year.
It was eventually approved by federal officials, but the actual reimbursement has been held up because of court challenges, environmental concerns and other issues.
