De-escalation: DeSantis declares Alligator Alcatraz permanently closed

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the Everglades detention camp known as Alligator Alcatraz is closing, saying the site now holds zero detainees and will be decommissioned within about two weeks. He called the operation temporary and said the chance of reopening is negligible.

All detainees had already been transferred to other immigration jails. Movements included relocations within South Florida and to California, Arizona, Louisiana and Texas. Contractors on site were told to begin full demobilization, and vendor trucks and equipment began rotating out.

The wind‑down follows a price tag that climbed past $1 billion and heavy draws on Florida’s emergency fund. Only $58 million in federal reimbursement has arrived against a once‑touted $608 million, which federal officials have limited to operating costs, not construction. Unpaid vendor balances remain, including nearly $78 million owed to the portable‑toilet contractor, whose $151 million contract had been only partially paid.

Miami‑Dade County moved to place the 17,000‑acre property on a path to permanent protection by pursuing a transfer to the National Park Service and other Everglades restoration partners. Environmental groups said their lawsuits will continue until the site is restored. Florida’s other state‑run immigration facility in Baker County remains open.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources