Florida taxpayers may lose $218M on 'Alligator Alcatraz' [View all]

Aug 28, 2025 2:48 PM EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for $218 million the state spent to convert a remote training airport in the Everglades into an immigration detention center dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz.”

The center may soon be completely empty as a judge upheld her decision late Wednesday ordering operations to wind down indefinitely.

Shutting down the facility for the time being would cost the state $15 million to $20 million immediately, and it would cost another $15 million to $20 million to reinstall structures if Florida is allowed to reopen it, according to court filings by the state.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management will lose most of the value of the $218 million it has invested in making the little-used airport suitable for a detention center, a state official said in court papers ...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/florida-taxpayers-may-lose-218m-on-alligator-alcatraz-as-judge-orders-shutdown#:~:text=ORLANDO%2C%20Fla.,center%20dubbed%20%E2%80%9C%20Alligator%20Alcatraz.%E2%80%9D