Where’s the immigration reimbursement, governor? Florida shouldn’t have to pay | Opinion

Floridians were told not to worry: The state would be reimbursed for the millions of dollars spent to build an immigration detention center in the Everglades called Alligator Alcatraz.

On social media last October, Gov. Ron DeSantis took a premature victory lap, saying that a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed Florida would be reimbursed. DeSantis posted on X, “We were right; media was wrong…”

That was nearly six months ago, and Florida hasn’t seen a dime, according to the Miami Herald.

It’s beginning to look like the concerns raised about DeSantis unilaterally spending $573 million in emergency funds on immigration enforcement, without the guarantee of being repaid, may have been warranted.

Last week, the Miami Herald reported that Attorney General James Uthmeier said he has “no reason to believe” that the federal government won’t cover the costs. But confidence can’t be taken to the bank. According to court documents reviewed by the Florida Tribune, attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice have said in legal filings that FEMA hasn’t made any “final federal funding decision.”

This is frustrating. Previously, the Herald Editorial Board raised concerns over the rushed construction of Alligator Alcatraz and its associated costs. DeSantis used emergency funds to finance the immigration detention center without legislative oversight or approval.

Even Republican lawmakers are expressing concerns. State Sen. Ed Hooper, the Senate’s budget chair, told the Florida Tribune that he doesn’t trust FEMA to reimburse the state. “I hope they do what’s right,” Hooper said.

Florida taxpayers deserve more than hope.

The state estimates that running Alligator Alcatraz has cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million a day to house 500 detainees, according to the court records reviewed by Florida Tribune. If correct, that’s a whopping figure that raises concern about the governor freely spending without any guardrails.

Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, has said the U.S. Department of Justice is holding up the federal reimbursement. In a federal appeals court filing in February, the state offered more details: “The State constructed and operated the facility, and the federal government had no say in whether or how the State proceeded. The State took the risk (and still does) that federal funding will not materialize.”

What that really means is that Florida taxpayers are stuck in limbo, potentially on the hook for half a billion dollars that helped pay for an immigration detention center, Alligator Alcatraz, where toilets didn’t flush and temperatures went from freezing to sweltering, according to detainee descriptions reported by the Herald last July.

Human rights organization Amnesty International called the conditions at the facility “inhumane and unsanitary” in a report last year that DeSantis’ office described as “fabrications,” Axios reported.

“Our research shows that while Florida has put millions of dollars into Alligator Alcatraz, the state has simultaneously cut billions from essential programs that support health care, food security, emergency response and housing. That’s an appalling set of priorities and Floridians should be alarmed.” Amy Fischer, director of refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA, wrote in a letter to the editor published by the Herald. The alarm is justified. DeSantis moved ahead without federal funding or legislative approval. He used emergency dollars typically intended for hurricanes and natural disasters. That money shouldn’t be considered to be a blank check for federal policy implementation.

If the federal government decides not to pay, Florida taxpayers will be forced to learn a costly lesson about why the executive branch — the governor — needs oversight by the Legislature. And Alligator Alcatraz will be considered an accountability and fiscal responsibility failure at the hands of a governor whose DOGE budget-cutting efforts all seem to be aimed at cities and counties, not state spending.

So far, DeSantis’ half-a-billion-dollar immigration gamble is looking like a cautionary tale about unchecked power, and Florida voters are looking like the losers.

This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 12:26 PM.