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Where did Florida Governor Ron DeSantis get the money to build Alligator Alcatraz? The same question applies to other things DeSantis has done on his anti-immigration crusade. We know that the Florida legislature did not order these moves, authorize them, or appropriate the money to pay for them.
There are two answers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, said that it would pay for Alligator Alcatraz. It has not, and there is now considerable doubt that FEMA ever will. So where did the money come from while waiting for reimbursement from the Feds? Governor DeSantis used funds from a Florida emergency fund.
You might have thought that emergency funds, Federal or state, would be used to help people recover from hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. A lot of people thought so.
“The state has used its Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund to pay for immigration measures, including detention centers.”
DeSantis “issued an emergency declaration on immigration in early January 2023,” which is the excuse for using Florida emergency funds on Alligator Alcatraz. These quotes are from the Tallahasee Democrat.
The DeSantis administration told us that the Federal government would reimburse the state for the cost of building Alligator Alcatraz. Now, in a filing in Federal court: “… lawyers with the Department of Justice said the Federal Emergency Management Agency had not yet decided whether to reimburse the state.” This is from the Miami Herald.
It looks like Florida taxpayers are going to be paying for a project they didn’t ask for and the legislature never authorized.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/n...imbursement-of-immigration-costs/88507746007/
www.tallahassee.com is The Tallahassee Democrat
Florida taxpayers may be on the hook for Alligator Alcatraz construction bill
February 6, 2026
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314607190.html
There are two answers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, said that it would pay for Alligator Alcatraz. It has not, and there is now considerable doubt that FEMA ever will. So where did the money come from while waiting for reimbursement from the Feds? Governor DeSantis used funds from a Florida emergency fund.
You might have thought that emergency funds, Federal or state, would be used to help people recover from hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. A lot of people thought so.
“The state has used its Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund to pay for immigration measures, including detention centers.”
DeSantis “issued an emergency declaration on immigration in early January 2023,” which is the excuse for using Florida emergency funds on Alligator Alcatraz. These quotes are from the Tallahasee Democrat.
The DeSantis administration told us that the Federal government would reimburse the state for the cost of building Alligator Alcatraz. Now, in a filing in Federal court: “… lawyers with the Department of Justice said the Federal Emergency Management Agency had not yet decided whether to reimburse the state.” This is from the Miami Herald.
It looks like Florida taxpayers are going to be paying for a project they didn’t ask for and the legislature never authorized.
Florida waits on $573 million for reimbursement of immigration costs
Feb. 4, 2026 Updated Feb. 5, 2026https://www.tallahassee.com/story/n...imbursement-of-immigration-costs/88507746007/
www.tallahassee.com is The Tallahassee Democrat
Florida taxpayers may be on the hook for Alligator Alcatraz construction bill
February 6, 2026
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314607190.html
