Harm to the Everglades–
- 2000+ acres of panther habitat jeopardized
- ~20 acres of new pavement
- ~25 million gallons of new polluting stormwater runoff per year
- Emissions from 200+ generators
The Costs –
- ~$1.2 million per day to operate
- ~$1.4 billion in taxpayer money
- $92 million in no-bid contracts to porta-potty company
Government Gone Rogue –
- ZERO accountability
- ZERO transparency
- ZERO protection of the Everglades
Expert testimony from our August District Court hearing confirmed Florida Panther habitat is jeopardized by “Alligator Alcatraz”
Randy Kautz, Florida Panther expert witness, testified on five main potential effects on panthers:
- Increased presence of human activity
- Increased artificial lighting
- Increased risk of roadkill due to increased traffic
- Impaired movement and access to habitat due to increase in fencing
- Compounding threats from construction of the detention center in addition to future growth and development projected for South Florida
Wildlife Impacts
- Florida panther populations are estimated to be around 200 remaining individuals, and they are isolated to the Big Cypress National Preserve and the southwest Florida region.
- With increasing development across Florida, every acre of panther habitat is vitally important.
- “Alligator Alcatraz” removes over 2000 acres of habitat.
We had to sue in state court to uncover documents showing harm
In a ‘too little too late’ attempt to justify environmental harm, the state paid more than $40k for an Environmental Assessment from environmental consulting firm RES. That assessment included photos of sewage grinders contained by kiddie pools, fuel tank trucks leaking into 5 gallon buckets, industrial diesel generators and trash overflowing from open dumpsters.
Here’s some of what we found:
Internal emails and financial documents we obtained show the state planned to seek $1.49 billion in federal funds, which are taxpayer funds from all Americans. The documents show the state spending more than $1.2 million per day on the Everglades detention center.
These files illustrate a staggering waste of taxpayer dollars — funds meant to protect Floridians in times of natural disaster — diverted instead to construct an ICE detention center in the heart of the Big Cypress National Preserve that continues to inflict grave harm on the Everglades.
