Major DeSantis contributor was awarded Alligator Alcatraz contract

Original reporting: Big DeSantis campaign donor set to reap millions from 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention camp (Florida Trident via Orlando Weekly)

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Source: The Independent

Major DeSantis contributor was awarded Alligator Alcatraz contract

Everglades facility is already targeted by lawsuits from environmental groups who say DeSantis overstepped authority to speed development

John Bowden
in Washington, D.C.
Sunday 06 July 2025 17:57 BST

Ron DeSantis’s development of a massive detention facility in the Everglades has apparently exposed a lucrative relationship that Democrats in the Sunshine State are calling a possible pay-for-play scheme.

The construction of “Alligator Alcatraz” is a major political milestone for the Florida governor, whose allies and critics both say harbors further ambitions of taking his brand national after a trouncing at the hands of Donald Trump in 2024’s GOP primary. According to a state estimate obtained by the Associated Press, officials believe the facility will be operational and able to house up to 5,000 immigrants awaiting deportation by the end of July.

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A report from the Florida Trident found that a brand-new contracting company known as IRG Global Emergency Management was awarded a $1.1m contract to provide “operational support services in support of migration efforts” by the state in late July. Citing environmental activists watching the site, the publication reported that the company’s trucks have been spotted outside of “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Formed in February of 2025, the Trident reports that IRG Global Emergency Management is actually an offshoot of Access Restoration Services US, Inc. (ARS). ARS recently opened its pockets to DeSantis’s political sphere, dropping donations totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to Florida Republican causes over the past 3 years. Those included donations to DeSantis’s own PAC as well as the state GOP.

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Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/desantis-alligator-alcatraz-donor-contracts-b2783565.html

Alternate link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/major-desantis-contributor-awarded-alligator-165724680.html