So.... 1)The state of Florida spent >$200 million to build the facility it calls "Alligator Alcatraz" 2) It opened in early July, christened by Trump. 3) Now it is closing, due to a judge's order. 4) It will cost $20 million to dismantle the center, which was used for about 2 months.
joke's on DeSantis and FL voters (sorry Dems!) if they think that trump admin will reimburse them 😂
hashtag government efficiency
Government efficiency at it's finest
All those GOP buddies got their payday.
The party of fiscal conservatism
Fiscal conservatism, small government, and individual freedom...
...and efficiency through privatization!
Boondock boondoggle
This was a brilliant endeavor by Republicans and a great example of why they smoke Democrats so often. This project checked all of the boxes of the Republican agenda. 1. Corporate welfare for the companies that got the contracts to build it and run it. 2. Racism, hate & xenophobia for everyone else.
Very Doge
I case people haven't figured it out yet, Trump and his reich view the Treasury as their personal piggybank. They can splurge on anything they want with all the free money. But don't you dare spend that money on things like disaster relief, FEMA, healthcare--that's communism!
Trump DRAINING ALL MONEY FROM OUR US ECONOMY FOR HIMSELF☠️ &GOP🐍!
Trump’s brand is bankruptcyRus
Government Efficiency in action 👍
Is this a scandal in FL or nah?
YES
somebody made a lot of fucking money for not a lot of work. just another republican grift of American tax dollars
Exactly! Follow the money - who got the contracts to build / supply / dismantle it??
Yep. Money extraction
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
classic government corruption.
So basically, it's a pop-up. They built a Museum of Ice Cream but with caged undesirables for the selfie stops. Hence the merch. And somehow it would have been cheaper in SoHo.
100% a propaganda play for Desantis to get in trumps good graces
Cant they convert it to the governor’s mansion?
Considering how much focus this administration has on producing content for social media instead of effective governing, they probably see it as a success based on the engagement they got.
The main thing to know is who is making money off this situation.
quick, someone alert the department of government efficiency!
Democrats need to use this when they're running for Congress or campaigning against Medicaid/care cuts. My late father was an auditor for the federal government, & he always said Republicans waste more $ on stupid projects, but too often Dems don't call them out.
How it REALLY played out. 1-Can't find employees to work in this remote area 2-Costs a fortune to constantly ship in supplies 3-Not enough incoming detainees to require a 'holding' facility DeSantis/Trump finally realized it was a financial disaster. Another stupid, waste of money just for show.
“Alligator Alcatraz” is expected to cost $450 million to operate for a single year, according to one DHS official who told CNN Florida will front the costs of the facility and then “submit reimbursement requests” through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/u...
Finally, some good fucking news
bsky.app/profile/carm...
Yup thanks to deathsantis. Licking the boots and got caught.
The money already got sent to Trump's cronies, the grift served its purpose. Now they can use it, let it be forgotten, and walk away with all the money without a single question being asked.
Now that's what I call *efficiency*
Links www.axios.com/local/miami/... www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n... www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a... www.wptv.com/wptv-investi...
And wasn't it redirected FEMA monies???
Let's say this "Alcatraz" held 1,000 people a day for the 55 days it was open (it usually didn't hold that many). And let's say it cost $220 million to build and take down (it likely cost more.) That works out to $4,000 per detainee per day. bsky.app/profile/bgru...
Proving MAGA is unafraid to violate any law in order to be cruel to nannies, gardeners, housekeepers, and busboys? Priceless.
On the other site, people have already done the math that a bullet to the head is cheaper. What a surprise.
Amateurs. The Center for immigrants build by Meloni in Albania costs about half a billion and hosted 40 people before being declared illegal by the tribunals.
Do the set-up costs include expenses for the 2 months of being used?
“Alligator Alcatraz” is expected to cost $450 million to operate for a single year, according to one DHS official who told CNN Florida will front the costs of the facility and then “submit reimbursement requests” through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/u...
So an additional $75 million. Talk about efficiency and reducing government waste...
Detainees told Univision that several migrants there "began shouting for “freedom'... A team of guards rushed in and began beating individuals indiscriminately with batons and fired teargas at them." The state says "these reports are manufactured." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
It would have been cheaper to put those poor folks up at Mar-a-Lago.
I know this isn’t the primary concern but is $200m a lot to pay for such a facility? Who got the contract? Are they the same people being paid $20m to take away millions of $ of materials and equipment?
"The largest single contract, at $78.5 million, went to Jacksonville based Critical Response Strategies which is responsible for hiring corrections officers, camp managers and IT personnel."
"Longview Solutions Group was awarded $25.6 million for site preparation and construction while IT company Gothams has a $21.1 million contract to provide services including access badges and detainee wristbands."
"Some of the contract details were later removed from Florida's public database, sparking criticism from Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani.'
"Florida officials said some of their spending would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "But the Trump administration has said in a court filing it has had nothing to do with funding of the facility."
“Alligator Alcatraz” is expected to cost $450 million to operate for a single year, according to one DHS official who told CNN Florida will front the costs of the facility and then “submit reimbursement requests” through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/u...
Just add it to the list of appalling Netflix docu series in coming years
But have you figured out the value of all the free “publicity” it got for ICE and the orange one? Fox loved it, led the news for weeks
The DHS could’ve put all these detainees up at the Four Seasons on the Big Island, and saved us a lot of money…
And (as usual) they're supposed to be rooting out "Fraud, Waste, and Abuse", right? Got all three right there.
So just as expensive or more as the real Alcatraz in its day (which TFG wants to bring back as well at whatever cost?) The math before the original closed said it would be cheaper to put each inmate up at the Waldorf-Astoria.
I'm tired of winning.
That money is ending up in somebody’s pocket. Find out who’s getting rich and then you’ll have a story worth telling.
Don't look now, but a multi state game of whack a mole is about to commence.
Checks off all their priorities: Waste, Fraud, Abuse
www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/u...
Rinse and repeat www.texastribune.org/2025/08/28/t...
Yeah, but how much merch did the FL GOP sell?
But it's ok because Florida didn't expand Medicaid, turned down highspeed rail funding, refuses to spend money on climate mitigation. So they can afford it.....
Actually, it would be nice of Peter Thiel to pay for this removal! But I don't think this will happen since he just pays for illegal things!
I guess this is in addition to increased grocery prices because of the trump tariffs?
Let's care that no one will be tortured and killed there rather than the price tag.
This administration is just one big ssa money grab opportunity.
I hope Floridians demand an audit. De Santis has plenty experience mismanaging money.
An aspirational Democrat in Florida will ask about this financial boondoggle over and over in public
With the caveat that this is a district court decision, so it could yet be reversed and the facility rebuilt (still with a loss of tens of millions of dollars)!
They have more and are building new detention facilities. Now they can demonize liberals for interfering with national safety without necessarily slowing down their deportation machine.
I guess my question is does Roberts REALLY want supporting an American GULAG on his head as well?...
Don’t worry, he’d just overturn the decision on procedural grounds and let his empty little head rest easy
Since dismantling it, even they would have to acknowledge an appeal is stupid. Maybe they realize it was a colossal waste and this gives them a way to save face. 🤷♂️
They just needed it for the photo ops
Yup
Can we spend some of that money on a big bonfire party for burning the concentration camp sign, film it & run it as ads on network news programs 24/7?
But.. is it truly closing? Dramarama Drumpf may continue to go rogue. I have zero confidence in him aquiesing, complying without excessive delays, counter suits, and juvenile tantrums every step of the way. 🥴
And someone made a fortune for putting together that monstrosity.
I’m pleasantly surprised that they are following judges’ rulings.
How many school lunches would that have covered and been used for good? 🙃
Funny how it’s apparently easy to find money for racism and hate yet impossible to find it to actually help people.
🎯
Is it actually being dismantled though
So... I truly hope there are many ppl documenting&creating detailed precise day 1 playbooks to id/counter/eliminate all means that permitted this every angle every front attack upon our country govt & ppl. In parallel illegal criminal playbooks every aspect ALL involved top/btm every crews&subset
The suppliers of all of that prison infrastructure, the equipment, those buildings, the companies that provided staff and management personnel. They all did VERY well in a few short months.
Just like Blackwater☠️ under Bush43!🐍☠️
I guess they should have called it the Trump Taj Mahal
Can you say "waste, fraud and abuse?"
"efficiency"
Great use of the Fema budget. Smdh
Add to the cost any settlements that may be awarded to inmates who sue the government.
@alt-text.bsky.social
Running government like a business… an AI business, apparently
Is someone keeping a tally of all this - keeping track of all the money he is saving y’all?
Also, follow the money on all these detention centers. Crony capitalism at its finest.
The department of government efficiency at work
I feel like “Follow the money” could be fruitful here
I wouldn’t bet on it closing.
Waste, fraud and abuse.
Wasting our money
Was FEMA money, all went to top DeSantis donors...no-bid contract. The whole immigration thing -- in addition to being inhumane, uncivilized and racist -- is a big grift. A lot of other big contracts went to Homan's "consulting clients," all totally unqualified for what they are doing.
But those DeSantis donors are happy, so I imagine they'll consider the project a success.
They only care about the money they got to build it, and that they wrecked the location spiritually for the Indigenous Same as the fucking wall Every govt & military building sits on sacred sites they dozed to put them there Demand it goes back to the tribes And loudly Bc we're taking it all
Any chance that notoriously cheap Trump will refuse to reimburse Florida? Seems highly likely.
And now they're building a 1.2 billion dollar immigration Detention Center on an army base
They have no concern spending our money when they feel the need. Shame.
So MAGA… 🖕🖕
I’m sure the so-called “DOGE” will get right on this, and pay back the American taxpayers… 🙄
Some pro-DeSantis contractors got very rich
Exactly. These projects are huge successes. So many Democrats just don’t seem to understand what these are about for some reason. bsky.app/profile/osca...
It’s okay though cause the governors donors got their money to build it and they’ll keep donating to the governor and his buddies. Always follow the money.
Returned the donation money to Trump and desantis with profit. Same reason Trump is flying detainees all around the country and on deportation flights. Paying back special interest donations w interest.
Don't mind the tax dollars to close the Gulag. Do mind the tax money to defend this SHIT, this SHIT ever opening in the first place, and the human suffering that most likely happened in it...
At least they managed to commit some human rights abuses in the 2 months
Even more grotesque is that they spent all this money to build a place with inadequate plumbing, inadequate air conditioning, inadequate sewage removal, entirely infested with mosquitos and other pests, and a kitchen that serves food with worms in it.
"This facility was always meant to be political clickbait." - @davearonberg.bsky.social
Who’s following the money? Somebody made a pile of $ on this fiasco. Public money. We have a right to know who.
220 million in taxpayer dollars just lit on fire, all so DeSantis could show everyone he's the most racist and how far up Trump's arse his tongue will reach. It remains to be seen how long a political party predicated on doing mortal and material harm to their constituents can remain viable.
Fraud on America by criminal enterprise of convicted felon and traitor trump.
The Republican cult cannot govern for shit. It’s why the states they dominate politically are so relatively poor, unhealthy, and miserable.
Bwahahahahahaha.....will Florida voters make MAGAts pay for that? Doubtful.
But But But But Trump got DOGE to make his administration efficient by eliminating government waste Trump is the the efficient president Ha Ha I guess the joke is really on US tax payers
Do the voters of Florida care? They should be furious at the waste, if nothing else.
...waste? fraud? abuse?...
Another bold move by "Meatball" Ron
Is dumb-assery a word?
All that money wasted on the Florida concentration camp, but the cost to our humanity was far greater. The torture, mosquitoes, horrible living conditions, dehumanization, all for politics, not security. How many were seeking asylum, not criminals? Get rid of sadistic officials, not refugees.
We need to make everyone understand that anyone holding any single positions of power, is actually a psychopath already and not fit to hold it
Grand Old Grift from the republican death cult
Why exactly are they complying? Not that I’m unhappy but it seems out of character. Could they not appeal the ruling?
So the contractor can make money again rebuilding it if the appeal is approved.
So stupid. The hurricanes are coming. Will Florida have any money to help people rebuild?
Brought to you by republicans: "The Party of Fiscal Responsibility"
Is the same contractor that built it tearing it down? Who is that contractor? Any interesting political associations for that contractor?
Waste, fraud, and abuse!
Don’t forget the payout of $250k in operational contracts the state is obligated to pay for the first year.
Willing to bet a lot of the dismantling is mostly paying out for early contract cancellation.
A big waste of money for a political stunt.
EFFICIENCY
Recall DeSantis!
Who wants to bet it costs 1 dollar each way and everyone else is cramming their pockets
Everyone is happy/relieved to see this human rights violation of a detention center go but so much taxpayer money was wasted on this and tRump's & Bondi, et al trips, etc. and who is going to be held accountable and reimburse taxpayers?
That's okay, Joe Biden paid for it all with Blue State tax money.
Meanwhile, funds for this deranged DeSantis camp were allegedly hurricane recovery funds diverted from taxpayers struggling to rebuild and repair from hurricane damages.
Perfectly emblematic of GOP rule. Wildly expensive boondoggles that serve no one (except the corporate folks who get rich building the things that, sooner than later, get dismantled).
Crazy man in White House must be costing Amerika billions with his blustering bungling & anti-Woke Project 25 schemes to re-make Amerika in the image of Disneyland meets Hollywood.
Someone orange will blame the waste of 220m on the judge
Can Alcatraz be a unit of measurement the way a Scaramucci is?
And those inmates will all be shuffled to another who-knows-where?
The party of fiscal responsibility folks
Those funds should have gone to FEMA or state agencies for hurricane season. As a resident of Florida, I'm livid that any state funds were spent by DeSantis on that evil boondoggle instead of addressing real needs. A pox on Trump and DeSantis both.
