The tab for Florida's immigrant prison in the Everglades is $250 million — and counting
Florida in Five: Five stories to read from the past week in Florida politics.

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Welcome to another installment of Florida in Five: Five* stories you need to read from the past week in Florida politics.
Florida taxpayers are on the hook for at least a quarter of a billion dollars in spending tied to the slapdash immigration detention facility the DeSantis administration opened this month in the middle of the Everglades.
And the public tab for the built-in-eight-days prison camp — where hundreds of immigrants, many without any criminal charges, are being locked up in group cages at a site popularly known by the sociopathic pseudonym, “Alligator Alcatraz” — keeps growing.
That’s according to a review of contracts and purchase orders connected to the project that have posted so far in a state database known as the Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System, or FACTS. State agencies are required by law to post information about every purchase order they issue to the FACTS database — including electronic copies of contracts and procurement documents.
But an unusual development happened last week: DeSantis administration staffers suddenly pulled Alligator Alcatraz-related purchase records from the site — and then replaced them with scrubbed documents that don’t provide nearly as much detail.
So we’re going to use this week’s Florida in Five top story to quickly run through Alligator Alcatraz contracts we’ve found so far in the FACTS system — along with some of the records Gov. Ron DeSantis had removed.
But first a couple of quick notes:
The list that follows details vendors with contracts explicitly connected to Florida’s Everglades detention facility. But there are likely additional contracts missing from this list — and more agreements will surface in the coming days and weeks.
Some of these agreements have also been changed multiple times since they were posted — to add or remove work, for instance. So this list should be considered a snapshot in time.
And while we have linked to the most detailed purchasing documents we’ve found so far, in some cases the the original records are limited or unavailable.
With that fine print out of the way, here’s a current list of Alligator Alcatraz vendors and contracts:
Critical Response Strategies ($78.5 million)
The biggest Alligator Alcatraz contract, at least so far, is with Jacksonville-based Critical Response Strategies to staff and manage the prison camp. The DeSantis administration began removing records from the FACTS site shortly screenshots from this purchase order began appearing online — showing that taxpayers are paying some Alligator Alcatraz staffers as much as $187 an hour.
Longview International Technology Solutions ($25.6 million)
Based in Herndon, Va., and better known by the acronym LTS, Longview landed a deal to do initial site prep for the detention facility, which has been built on isolated airfield known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, or TNT. This particular deal also shows how sloppy the DeSantis administration’s record-keeping has been so far: Aides initially reported a larger deal with Longview — but they misidentified the vendor.
Here’s the original purchase order they posted — many of the financial terms remain the same — and the more limited version they uploaded after making changes.
Gothams LLC ($24.5 million)
Austin, Texas-based Gothams LLC has received two contracts so far for technology and IT support.
Doodie Calls ($22 million)
The most recent contract the DeSantis administration has posted is a “facilities sanitation” agreement with Doodie Calls, a St. Petersburg company that provides portable toilets, sinks and showers.
SLSCO Ltd. ($19.8 million)
Also known as Sullivan Land Services and based in Galveston, Texas, SLSCO got a contract to build out the detention facility and provide ongoing maintenance.
Garner Environmental Services ($19.8 million)
Houston, Texas-based Garner Environmental Services appears to have been given a matching deal for facility buildout and ongoing maintenance.
Lemoine CDR Logistics ($18.3 million)
The joint venture between Lafayette, La.-based Lemoine and CDR Companies of Miami got at least two contracts — one for initial site prep and another for custodial services
CDR Health Care ($17.5 million)
CDR Health Care is part of the CDR Companies, a Miami company that is also known as CDR Maguire — and that is one of Ron DeSantis very biggest donors. The contract with CDR Health Care is to build and staff the detention center’s medical facilities.
Meridian Rapid Defense Group ($11.9 million)
Pasadena, Calif.-based Meridian Rapid Defense Group supplied mobile barriers.
IRG Global Emergency Management ($5.2 million)
A recent spin-off from Access Restoration Services, a major emergency management contractor, Conroe, Texas-based IRG Global has landed at least two contracts connected to Alligator Alcatraz — one to provide air and shuttle transportation services, the other for emergency planning.
Granny’s Alliance Holdings ($3.4 million)
Granhy’s Alliance, of Meridian, Idaho, is providing meal kits and kitchen services.
Public Safety Solutions MO ($900,000)
Based in Springfield, Mo., Public Safety Solutions supplied radios and accessories.
Selectrailers ($539,000)
The Loretto, Tenn.-based vendor, which owns the ContainGo brand, provided trailers.
Baker’s Communications ($500,000)
The Lake Mary company supplied a $500,000 radio system.
IEM International ($326,000)
Also known as Innovative Emergency Management, the Raleigh, N.C.-based contractor got a roughly $326,000 contract to assist with detention facility planning.
Williams Communications ($293,000)
A Tallahassee-based vendor that provided loudspeakers and radio batteries.
Will-Burt Integration and Elevation ($259,000)
Part of the Will-Burt Company in Orrville, Ohio, it supplied a portable antenna tower for the site.
CDW Government ($59,000)
A major government supplier, the DeSantis administration has tapped CDW for Microsoft laptops and a computer-aided dispatch system.
Boise Schiller Flexner LLP ($50,000)
The New York City law firm — perhaps best known for representing the federal government in a landmark antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. — is now defending the DeSantis administration and its Everglades prison camp in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups.
Motorola Solutions ($48,000)
The Chicago-based mobile phone company has supplied batteries, belt clips and a site tech
WeatherSTEM ($25,000)
Another Tallahassee-based vendor, WeatherSTEM supplied lightning alert sirens for the site
*To paraphrase Barbossa, five is more what you’d call a guideline than an actual rule.
The dark heart of the Sunshine State
Orlando immigrants’ path to deportation: Often, it starts with a traffic infraction (Orlando Sentinel) ($)
See also: Alligator Alcatraz isn’t meant for minors. A 15 year old ended up there anyway (Miami Herald) ($)
See also: A black hole’: Attorneys say they still can’t reach clients in Alligator Alcatraz (Miami Herald) ($)
See also: Emails show DeSantis administration blindsided county officials with plans for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ (Associated Press)
See also: The Chaotic Early Days Inside Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center (New York Times) ($)
See also: Inside ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ detainees report relentless mosquitoes, limited water (The Washington Post) ($)
Disaster capitalists
Meet the Disaster Capitalists Behind Alligator Alcatraz (The American Prospect)
See also: Florida’s disaster pipeline funnels millions to politically connected contractors (Orlando Sentinel) ($)
See also: Jacksonville firm with $78 million ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ contract has obscure origins (The Tributary)
For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law
Arrested, Shackled and Deported from Florida — Despite a Federal Court Order (The Marshall Project)
See also: Florida congressional districts that eliminated a majority-Black seat upheld by state Supreme Court (Associated Press)
See also: Florida flouts auditing law on ‘emergency’ immigration spending (Orlando Sentinel) ($)
See also: Amesty seeks to clear criminal charges from public record (Orlando Sentinel) ($)
A little man with a lot of legal power
Attorney General James Uthmeier sues DeLand homeowner in dispute over pro-Trump yard signs (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
See also: Florida AG threatens U.S. Masters Swimming over transgender competition (Florida Phoenix)
See also: Florida Attorney General takes a side in LDDA vs. conservative social media personality (Lakeland Ledger)
See also: Florida AG ties ‘weather modification’ to Texas floods. There is no link, experts say (Miami Herald) ($)
See also: The Young GOPer Behind “Alligator Alcatraz” Is the Dark Future of MAGA (The New Republic)
Hiring book banners, calling them librarians
Florida reduces competency requirements for school media specialists (Tampa Bay Times) ($)
See also: Escambia school board removes hundreds of books without review, book challenge policies to change (WUWF)
See also: New schools commissioner delivers fiery speech to the state Board of Education (Florida Phoenix)
See also: A funding freeze and dwindling state money mean school districts face cuts to programs (WUSF)
See also: UF’s Hamilton School director leaves for UT Austin (Tampa Bay Times) ($)
Perspectives
Follow the money closely in Hope Florida fiasco (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) ($)
Private company controls access to public land at Florida national park (Florida Phoenix)
Florida wants to ban gay pride crosswalks and keep us on the path of intolerance (Palm Beach Post) ($)



Florida peeps…Fl Indivisible/No Concentration Camps Zoom this week.Rep Anna Eskamani will be there with updates.She will NEVER give up.💪💙
https://indivisible.zoom.us/meeting/register/e4dC2vkST721ibE1xKmCYQ?emci=0c549c50-1664-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5724b87d-a464-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=1296401#/registration
I looooove the Republicans... they hate hate hate to spend money when it would improve peoples lives but they blow 250 million to look tough tough tough on immigration. I can't wait until America and yes, Floridians wake up and kick these corrupt bums out of office. Great Job, Jason, you are an unstinting reporter on this corruption.