President Donald Trump participates in a walking tour of the immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Florida is finally eligible for a $608 million federal grant to help pay for the state’s migrant lockups after the Trump administration lifted an environmental funding hold that had stalled the dollars for months.
State emergency managers still can’t request the FEMA money until the federal government shutdown ends. But newly obtained documents show that Florida no longer has to clear a federally required Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) review before seeking reimbursement.
However, it’s unclear whether the review has been completed or the federal government simply chose to remove the funding barrier. A Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) spokesperson said she doesn’t “have that information.”
“Earlier this week, we were given approval to lift the EHP funding hold on the full $608.4 million of Florida’s Detention Support Grant Program award … for providing services at [“Alligator Alcatraz”],” reads a FEMA email sent to the state on March 10.
Florida can also extend some of the cost allotments to “any eligible site with detainees in Florida.”
Once FEMA GO, the portal used to make reimbursement requests, is operational “post-lapse,” the FDEM can submit a payment request for certain activities at these detention centers.
Long-awaited funding
The federal dollars have been highly anticipated.
The state has spent over $412 million in the past seven months on immigration enforcement activities, Florida’s government accountability website shows. Some $390 million of that was shelled out between June and October on “Alligator Alcatraz” alone.
And although state officials claimed in September that they’d won the reimbursement award, nearly 3,000 documents released by FDEM during a public records lawsuit last month revealed a months-long back-and-forth between state and federal officials attempting to smooth out grant language to give Florida the $608 million.
The biggest issue was the environmental review. It’s a mandatory process that ensures federally funded projects comply with environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
On four separate occasions last year, FEMA told state officials it wouldn’t release the full grant award until the review was final. FEMA denied a state funding request in December, citing the unfinished review.
State officials told the Phoenix in February that the review was “in progress.”
What will the reimbursement cover?
Florida’s emergency managers have estimated that “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” will cost anywhere between $1.065 billion and $1.7 billion in the next year to two years, previous records showed.
The $608 million grant can cover most operational costs, but not construction or modification. FEMA on Tuesday told Florida it could request funding for a burden rate of $249 per detainee per night at the Everglades center.
FDEM also can extend that burden rate to other detainee sites, which would include “Deportation Depot” in Baker County.
The allowable costs include:
- 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
But if FDEM thinks these activities would exceed the amount of the daily burden rate, it could submit a written request for approval for “extraordinary circumstances.”
Environmental lawsuit
The EHP review has been central to an ongoing lawsuit brought by environmental groups against the state.
Friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice, the Miccosukee Tribe, and Center for Biological Diversity claimed that Florida violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental study ahead of “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The state claimed those restrictions don’t apply to it because its detention centers don’t use federal dollars or oversight.
The records helped explain why Florida hadn’t seen a dime of federal money and revealed a contradiction in the state’s messaging:
- Publicly, FDEM dismissed the need to comply with NEPA because it said “Alligator Alcatraz” has received no federal funding and is entirely state-run.
- Privately, the agency knows why it hasn’t been paid: The federal government believed NEPA, through the environmental review, may apply to the state.