Plans for a new immigration detention center in the Panhandle, dubbed the “Panhandle Pokey” by Gov. Ron DeSantis, are on hold, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Amid speculation that Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz center will close soon, the department told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement that “this facility is no longer being proposed.”
In January, DeSantis said at a press conference at Deportation Depot that the “Panhandle Pokey” would be located in Northwest Florida, but he said he was waiting for approval from Homeland Security. DeSantis made the offer because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not have enough detention space, he said.
In September, DeSantis also mentioned during a press conference at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s regional operations center in Orlando that he was talking with local officials in Panama City about building a center there.
“We’re actually in the process of figuring out how we can set up a Panhandle Pokey, and we are going to have that in the Panhandle,” DeSantis said. “So the mission continues.”
A spokesperson for DeSantis referred questions about the center to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which did not immediately respond to an email Friday evening.
This is a developing story. Check Tampabay.com for updates.