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FULL REMARKS: DeSantis speaks at Alligator Alcatraz
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and top state officials spoke Friday morning at the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Everglades. DeSantis provided an update on deportation flights now operating from the facility’s on-site runway, highlighting its role in accelerating the removal of detainees.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is moving forward with plans for a second immigration detention center in Florida, having awarded at least one contract for a facility referred to in state documents as the "North Detention Facility," according to the Associated Press.
The new site would expand the state’s detention capacity beyond the first center—located at a remote airfield in the Everglades and nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz"—which officially opened on July 1 after over $245 million in contracts were signed.
Where would the second immigration facility be located?
What we know:
The proposed second facility is planned for Camp Blanding, a Florida National Guard training site located roughly 27 miles (43 kilometers) southwest of downtown Jacksonville.
However, DeSantis has indicated that construction at Camp Blanding will wait until federal authorities increase deportation activity from the existing South Florida site.
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Dig deeper:
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency that built the Everglades facility, has awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency response weather station and two lightning sirens for what’s been dubbed the "North Detention Facility," according to records in the state’s public contract database. The equipment will help enable "real-time weather monitoring and safety alerting for staff."
The contract comes as the state approaches the peak of hurricane season, and as heavy rains and extreme heat have pounded parts of Florida. Immigrant advocates and environmentalists have raised a host of concerns about the Everglades facility, a remote compound of heavy-duty tents and trailers that state workers and contractors assembled in a matter of days.
What we don't know:
What remains unclear is when construction of the second facility at Camp Blanding will begin, and what its capacity and design will be.
What they're saying:
"We look forward to the increased cadence," of deportations, DeSantis said last month, calling the state "ready, willing and able" to expand its operations.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Associated Press on August 5, 2025.