Florida Delegation Roundup: Alligator Alcatraz Closure Looms, Lobbying Ban Proposed, Children’s Online Safety Push
Alligator Alcatraz Faces Imminent Shutdown
Florida’s immigration detention facility in Collier County — nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” — is expected to close as soon as next month, with state and federal officials signaling the end of an operation that cost roughly $1 million per day to run.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stopped short of announcing a formal closure timeline, telling a television news program, “That’s not been an announcement we’ve made.” However, multiple national outlets reported the facility will shutter in June, with its approximately 1,400 detainees to be transferred to other facilities within weeks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis effectively confirmed the closure at a news conference in Titusville, framing it as always having been a temporary arrangement. “We always said it was going to be temporary,” he said, adding that reimbursement from federal emergency management funds could take years — though he characterized such delays as standard practice for FEMA-backed operations.
DeSantis pushed back on media scrutiny of the facility’s operating costs, arguing that coverage of detention expenses rarely accounts for the broader fiscal impact of illegal immigration on the state.
Mullin also pointed to logistical vulnerabilities, citing wildfire activity within 20 miles of the site and Florida’s exposure to hurricane-season risks as factors complicating long-term use of a temporary airstrip facility. He suggested the site might remain on standby for surge situations even if daily operations wind down.
Florida Democrats were quick to mark the closure as a policy defeat for the administration. Rep. Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat, said he had visited the facility repeatedly to conduct oversight. “After wasting millions in taxpayer dollars and facing ongoing environmental lawsuits, this failed experiment,” he said, calling for accountability over spending and conditions at the site.
The facility was opened by the state of Florida and drew national attention at its launch, with Mullin’s predecessor at DHS, Kristi Noem, among its prominent supporters. Its reported closure less than a year after opening marks a notable reversal for an initiative that had been held up as a model for large-scale immigration enforcement. For more on Florida’s shifting congressional landscape, see how redistricting is reshaping delegation dynamics, including Lois Frankel’s shift to the newly drawn CD 23.
Scott and Warren Propose Lifetime Lobbying Ban
In an unusual bipartisan pairing, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have jointly introduced legislation that would permanently bar former members of Congress from becoming registered lobbyists.
The measure, titled the Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust Act, goes further than existing post-service restrictions. Under the bill’s language, former lawmakers would be prohibited not only from formal lobbying registration but also from making any official contacts with congressional offices or staff on behalf of private clients — even if they work through a firm without registering as a lobbyist themselves.
The legislation also targets what lawmakers described as “shadow lobbying,” extending restrictions to cover former members who are compensated to influence legislative action regardless of whether they formally register. Violations would carry fines of $50,000 per offense.
“When politicians use their time in public office to cash in after they leave government, the American people lose,” Scott said in remarks accompanying the bill’s introduction, citing historically low public trust in government institutions as part of the rationale.
Warren echoed that framing, calling the revolving door between Capitol Hill and lobbying firms a driver of institutional distrust. The bill represents a rare instance of Scott, a conservative Republican, aligning with one of the Senate’s most prominent progressive members on a government-ethics measure.
Moody Pushes Child Online Safety Legislation
Sen. Ashley Moody, Florida’s former attorney general now serving in the Senate, delivered pointed remarks to colleagues she sees as obstructing efforts to increase protections for children on social media platforms.
Moody has been involved in a series of legislative efforts targeting legal liability protections for technology companies whose platforms are accessible to minors. She directed her message at any lawmakers defending those protections, urging them to step aside and allow the measures to advance.
The push reflects a broader national debate over Section 230 liability shields and age-verification requirements that has gained traction in state legislatures and Congress over the past two years. Florida has been among the more active states in this space, with the state Senate also holding firm on other budget priorities as the legislative session winds down.