Because there's been a lot that's happened nationally over the last several weeks, including the Schumer Shutdown, Charlie Kirk's assassination, President Trump's authorization of troop deployment to Portland, and the backlash over the murder of Charlotte resident Iryna Zarutska, there hasn't been too much of a focus on Florida's Alligator Alcatraz.
However, at the state level, attention has been paid to it in part due to complaints from Democrats, the corporate press, and others opposed to the temporary detention facility that opened in July, on the grounds that Sunshine State taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill for what critics say is essentially a federal operation.
Though he was no doubt amused by Democrats pretending to be fiscally responsible, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said all along that the state would be reimbursed for the costs it has incurred in both building it and running it.
SEE ALSO -->> 'Full Speed Ahead': Ron DeSantis Has Bad News for Democrats on Alligator Alcatraz As Fauxrage Continues
On Thursday, we learned from DHS that the FEMA grant Florida had applied for related to the facility had been awarded just prior to the start of the Schumer Shutdown:
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Florida submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was awarded the full $608 million just two days ago.
The Governor’s office confirmed the funds will pay for construction and management of Alligator Alcatraz and "Deportation Depot,“ a state-run immigration detention center located in Sanderson.
“The reality is what I have said from the beginning — we will get reimbursed,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Sept. 26.
#AlligatorAlcatraz: A DHS spokesperson tells me FEMA awarded reimbursement on September 30 (a day before the government shutdown) “to the full amount they [Florida] applied for. $608M.” It is not immediately clear if the $608M will be exclusively spent on Alligator Alcatraz. 🧵 https://t.co/D1qMXOkDGs
— Christina Boomer Vazquez, M.S. (@CBoomerVazquez) October 2, 2025
On social media, DeSantis took a victory lap, writing that "Another bogus narrative bites the dust. I said all along that we would be reimbursed."
DeSantis also skewered Democrats over the hyperventilating they did regarding funding:
The governor also took aim at Florida Democrats, who, for weeks, slammed the DeSantis administration immediately after Alligator Alcatraz became operational, claiming Florida taxpayers were footing the bill for a function meant to serve federal immigration law.
“FL Dems are the dictionary definition of failure theater,” DeSantis said.
In addition to some of that money also going towards funding for "Deportation Depot," which opened in early September, it's also being speculated that some of it could be used for the "Panhandle Pokey," a third detention facility in Florida that DeSantis has said is in the early stages of planning amid the ongoing legal battle with environmentalist groups over Alligator Alcatraz:
DeSantis said the need for a third location was raised during a conversation with law enforcement officials in Panama City.
“You're in the Panhandle, sending to Alligator Alcatraz, that's a long way,” DeSantis said. “Even sending to the Deportation Depot in North Florida, that could be three to five hours, depending on where you are in the Panhandle. And so, they were like, is there a way we can get a facility that's going to be closer to us? And so we said, yes.”
As always, stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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