‘Alligator Alcatraz’ payments land at last: $58 million to hit Florida next weekby Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix
May 15, 2026
The first installment of the federal government’s promised $608 million reimbursements for the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” lockup will hit Florida in the coming days, newly obtained correspondence shows.
“Your payment request … in the amount of $58,292,145 has been approved. The payment was accepted by our financial system on 5/15/2026,” reads a email sent Friday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).
“Please expect an electronic payment to be made to your organization’s bank within 3 to 5 business days.”
Neither FEMA nor Florida emergency managers responded to questions about what specifically the $58 million is for, or how many additional payments will be made before the full $608.4 million grant is paid out. The federal reimbursement can only pay for operational costs — not modifications or construction linked to the remote Everglades center.
The payment is long-awaited, coming two months after federal officials lifted environmental holds that had tied up the funding in the first place, and 10 months after the center opened. It also comes just weeks before the center is expected to shut down, as The New York Times first reported.
“Alligator Alcatraz,” located within the Everglades, has been mired in controversy since its inception, with complaints ranging from legal and humanitarian problems to alleged environmental violations — although the most recent case was resolved in the state’s favor.
But one of the facility’s biggest criticisms has been its price tag. The center is estimated to have cost more than $1 billion over the year and has reportedly burnt through more than $1 million per day on detainees. Combined with the federal government’s molasses approach to reimbursing the state, the costs fueled questions about whether Florida would ever see a federal dime.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, for his part, said during a press conference earlier this week that Florida would recover the full amount and the funding’s sluggish pace is simply “just the way the federal government operates.” He noted that the state still hasn’t been paid back for humanitarian flights to Israel or spending on hurricane recovery over the past few years.
“FEMA doesn’t reimburse immediately. It just takes time,” he said.
According to state spending records, FDEM in seven months spent nearly $460 million on immigration enforcement. Roughly $390 million of that went out between June and October on “Alligator Alcatraz” alone, the Phoenix previously reported.
Under FEMA’s grant rules, Florida for “Alligator Alcatraz” can seek reimbursement for:
- Clothing and bedding
- Hygiene/laundry/janitorial services and supplies
- Staff salaries
- Meals and beverages for detainees and some food service equipment
- Office supplies
- Legal and translation services
- IT support (does not include installation or maintenance of equipment)
- Medical equipment and supplies
The governor’s office declined to comment, referring the Phoenix to DeSantis’ earlier remarks.
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