Florida Immigration Center Surprised Collier County Officials \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration bypassed local authorities while fast-tracking a controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades. Internal emails show Collier County officials were unaware of the plan as construction began. The state invoked emergency powers to seize land, suspend regulations, and speed up development.
Quick Looks
- DeSantis fast-tracked a massive migrant facility in secret.
- Local Collier County officials were left in the dark.
- Over 100 emails reveal confusion and lack of coordination.
- State used emergency powers to seize land and bypass zoning.
- Facility was built in 10 days and named “Alligator Alcatraz.”
- State claimed it was needed for immigration “emergency.”
- Construction vendors linked to GOP political donations.
- DeSantis, Trump, and top officials toured site on July 1.
- Environmental groups filed lawsuits citing legal violations.
- Local leaders scrambled to manage public and media fallout.
Deep Look
A sprawling immigration detention center appeared seemingly overnight on a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades, catching Collier County officials by surprise — and sparking a firestorm of confusion, frustration, and political backlash. Internal government emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration used executive powers to seize land, silence local oversight, and rush construction of the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” facility without notifying the people who actually govern the area.
The detention center, which houses thousands of migrants in temporary tents and trailers, was erected in just over a week using an executive order DeSantis signed in 2023 and extended into 2025. The order gave the state broad authority to override zoning laws, bypass environmental reviews, and take control of public land in the name of responding to an “immigration emergency.”
To officials in Collier County — a largely Republican enclave known for Everglades tourism and pristine beaches — the operation came out of nowhere.
“Not cool!” one local emergency management director told state officials after learning construction was already underway.
Emails exchanged from June 21 to July 1 show that while rumors of the project began surfacing, the state was already mobilizing vendors, hauling in equipment, and coordinating on-site logistics at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a long-unused airstrip 45 miles west of Miami.
Although technically located within Collier County, the airstrip is owned by neighboring Miami-Dade County, adding further complexity. Collier officials, zoning directors, and emergency responders scrambled to confirm whether the project was real — only to discover it was already nearly complete.
Confusion, Denials, and Rapid Construction
County Commissioner Rick LoCastro first heard about the detention center not from the governor’s office or the Department of Emergency Management — but from a citizen’s email.
“A citizen is asking about a proposed ‘detention center’ in the Everglades?” he wrote. “Never heard of that … Am I missing something?”
The answer was yes. Within 24 hours, state officials confirmed plans to acquire the airstrip, but gave only vague language about “emergency response” operations. At the same time, trucks carrying asphalt and portable toilets began arriving in droves.
By June 23, Collier County Emergency Director Dan Summers was trying to brief his superiors while chasing basic facts about what was happening. “Is it in the plans or is there an actual operation set to open?” he asked the state’s emergency bureau. He had been told the idea was merely “conceptual.”
“We’re already on site with our vendors,” a state official wrote back.
Summers, blindsided, replied bluntly: “Not cool! That’s not what was relayed to me… I have egg on my face.”
Legal Gray Area and Local Blowback
The DeSantis administration claimed its executive order allowed for land seizure and regulatory suspension, but environmental groups immediately filed lawsuits, alleging that the project violated state and federal law, including environmental protections and zoning requirements.
County Attorney Jeffrey Klatzkow made clear Collier wanted no responsibility.
“My view is we have no interest in this airport parcel,” he wrote in an email titled, “Not our circus, not our monkeys.”
Indeed, the 1968 deed confirmed the land belonged to Miami-Dade County, not Collier — a critical detail as media scrutiny exploded.
By June 25, local fire chiefs and emergency personnel were asking basic questions like who would respond if an incident occurred at the detention facility. No clear answers were given.
Meanwhile, news coverage spread from local outlets to global headlines, alarming officials concerned about tourism backlash. Communications directors shared media links among themselves, searching for clarity that wasn’t coming from the state.
“Keep them coming,” Summers replied, “since it’s crickets from Tally at this point.”
Political Connections and a Presidential Visit
Adding fuel to the controversy, several contractors who won multimillion-dollar state contracts for the construction of the detention center were linked to political donors supporting DeSantis and other Republican causes.
Despite local outrage and mounting legal challenges, the state pushed ahead. On July 1 — just 10 days after Collier officials first heard rumors — the facility officially opened. On hand for the ribbon-cutting were Gov. Ron DeSantis, President Donald Trump, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, signaling the project’s alignment with federal immigration enforcement priorities.
After the tour, a county staffer asked to be included in future site visits. Summers responded:
“Absolutely. After the President’s visit and some of the chaos settles in, we will get you all down there…”
As of mid-July, the detention center remains operational. Lawsuits are pending. County officials are still seeking documentation. And questions linger about how such a massive state initiative could unfold so quickly — and so secretly — in a county that never saw it coming.
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