{"id":276294,"date":"2026-05-19T08:41:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T08:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/276294\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T08:41:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T08:41:40","slug":"alligator-alcatraz-payments-land-at-last-58-million-to-hit-florida-next-week-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/276294\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Alligator Alcatraz\u2019 payments land at last: $58 million to hit Florida next week"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Credit: Official White House photo by Daniel Torok<\/p>\n

The first installment of the federal government\u2019s promised $608 million reimbursements for the so-called \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d lockup will hit Florida in the coming days, newly obtained correspondence shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour payment request \u2026 in the amount of $58,292,145 has been approved. The payment was accepted by our financial system on 5\/15\/2026,\u201d reads a email sent Friday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease expect an electronic payment to be made to your organization\u2019s bank within 3 to 5 business days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither FEMA nor Florida emergency managers responded to questions about what specifically the $58 million is for, or how many additional payments will be made before the full $608.4 million grant is paid out. The federal reimbursement can only pay for operational costs \u2014\u00a0not modifications or construction<\/a>\u00a0linked to the remote Everglades center.<\/p>\n

The payment is long-awaited, coming two months after federal officials\u00a0lifted<\/a>\u00a0environmental holds that had\u00a0tied up the funding<\/a>\u00a0in the first place, and 10 months after the center opened. It also comes just weeks before the center is expected to shut down, as The New York Times first reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlligator Alcatraz,\u201d located within the Everglades, has been mired in controversy since its inception, with complaints ranging from legal and humanitarian problems to alleged environmental violations \u2014 although the most recent case was resolved in the state\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

But one of the facility\u2019s biggest criticisms has been its price tag. The center is estimated to have cost more than $1 billion over the year and has reportedly burnt through more than $1 million per day on detainees. Combined with the federal government\u2019s molasses approach to reimbursing the state, the costs fueled questions about whether Florida would ever see a federal dime.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis, for his part, said during a press conference earlier this week that Florida would recover the full amount and the funding\u2019s sluggish pace is simply \u201cjust the way the federal government operates.\u201d He noted that the state still hasn\u2019t been paid back for humanitarian flights to Israel or spending on hurricane recovery over the past few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cFEMA doesn\u2019t reimburse immediately. It just takes time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to state spending records, FDEM in seven months spent nearly $460 million on immigration enforcement. Roughly $390 million of that went out between June and October on \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d alone, the Phoenix previously reported.<\/p>\n

Under FEMA\u2019s grant rules, Florida for \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d can seek reimbursement for:<\/p>\n

Clothing and bedding
\nHygiene\/laundry\/janitorial services and supplies
\nStaff salaries
\nMeals and beverages for detainees and some food service equipment
\nOffice supplies
\nLegal and translation services
\nIT support (does not include installation or maintenance of equipment)
\nMedical equipment and supplies<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s office declined to comment, referring the Phoenix to DeSantis\u2019 earlier remarks.<\/p>\n

Florida Phoenix<\/a>\u00a0is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions:\u00a0info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>. Follow Florida Phoenix on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

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