The Possible End of Alligator Alcatraz and State Budget Concerns

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THE END MAY BE IN SIGHT FOR THE IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTER KNOWN AS ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. THE REPORT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES STATED THAT FEDERAL OFFICIALS WE'RE IN EARLY TALKS ABOUT SHUTTING DOWN THE FACILITY IN THE HEART OF THE EVERGLADES SINCE ITS OPENING LAST SUMMER. THE CENTER HAS DEPORTED OVER 22,000 DETAINEES BUT ACCUSATIONS OF IMPROPER TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION CONCERNS HAVE LED TO MULTIPLE LAWSUITS DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE IN FORT MYERS, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SPOKE ON HOW ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO FLORIDA'S POLICING OF IMMIGRATION. >> WELL, AS I SAID FROM THE BEGINNING, THIS WAS A TEMPORARY FACILITY. IT WAS BUILT TO BE TEMPORARY. IF YOU IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN THERE, YOU'VE SEEN IT'S TEMPORARY. WE DID NOT WANT TO BUILD A PERMANENT CILLA D AT THAT AIRPORT. THAT WAS GOING TO BE BROKEN DOWN WHEN THERE WAS NO NO LONGER IN NEED. WE DID THE FACILITY IN RESPONSE TO DHS BEING DESPERATE FOR BED SPACE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO RELEASE ILLEGAL ALIENS BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY WHO HAD BEEN APPREHENDED. AND SO THAT HAS BEEN ABLE TO DRAMATICALLY EXPAND THEIR FOOTPRINT. >> FOR MORE, WE'RE JOINED BY WGCU REPORTER AND HOST JOHN DAVIS AND JOHN, ON MONDAY, A FEDERAL JUDGE IN FORT MYERS ISSUED A NEW RULING RELATED TO ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. WHAT IS THIS ORDER ABOUT? >> SO THIS WAS A FEDERAL JUDGE BASED OUT OF FORT MYERS. SHE HAD ISSUED A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION EARLIER AND THIS WAS RELATING TO CONCERNS ABOUT DETAINEES, ACCESS TO ATTORNEYS. SO BASICALLY PLAINTIFFS WERE ARGUING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEIR 5TH AMENDMENT RIGHTS WERE BEING VIOLATED AND SPECIFICALLY THE ORDER REQUIRED THE STATE TO JUST BASICALLY HAVE MORE PHONES. SO DETAINEES AND ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ CAN CONTACT THEIR ATTORNEYS. I THINK THE ORDER ACTUALLY REQUIRED A MINIMUM OF ONE PHONE FOR 25 DETAINEES. THERE WERE OTHER THINGS LIKE INFORMATION ABOUT DETAINEES. YOU KNOW, LAWYER ACCESS RIGHTS, BUT IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES SO THAT THE DETAINEES WHO DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH COULD ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE THE STATE HAD ARGUED THAT THEY WANTED THE PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION LIFTED. THEY SAID THIS WAS TOO BURDENSOME, THAT THIS WAS TOO EXPENSIVE. BUT JUDGE POLSTER CHAPELLE'S DECISION REALLY SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE. I MEAN, THE STATE WENT TO GREAT EXPENSE TO CREATE THIS FACILITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EVERGLADES WHERE THERE'S NO INFRASTRUCTURE. SO ANYTHING THAT THEY EAT OR DRINK HAS TO BE TRUCKED. AND IF YOU WILL HAVE TO BE TRUCKED AND THROUGH ITS WAYS HAS TO BE TRUCKED OUT BECAUSE THERE'S NO INFRASTRUCTURE. I MEAN, THIS COSTS AROUND 1.0, 2 MILLION DOLLARS A DAY TO OPERATE. SO AND I ARGUE THAT IT'S TOO FINANCIALLY BURDENSOME TO NOT VIOLATE DETAINEES RIGHTS. SHE JUST DIDN'T BUY THE ARGUMENT. WELL, AND IT'S CERTAIN THAT THE COST RELATED TO THIS DETENTION FACILITY >> WILL BE AMONG THE COST BEING DISCUSSED AS LAWMAKERS GATHER IN TALLAHASSEE FOR THIS SECOND LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT HAS BEEN CALLED TO HOPEFULLY GET A BUDGET. THIS TIME THEY WERE UNABLE TO GET A BUDGET AND AGREE ON ONE MARCH. WHY WAS THAT? >> SO BIG PICTURE. YOU REMEMBER BACK IN MARCH, THE HOUSE AND SENATE WERE ABOUT 1.4 BILLION DOLLARS APART ON THEIR OVERALL BUDGET PROPOSALS. BUT THEN IN LATE APRIL, LAWMAKERS ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAD AGREED ON ABOUT 52 BILLION DOLLARS AND GENERAL REVENUE ALLOCATIONS. THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN GENERAL REVENUE THAT'S GOING TO BE SPENT IN EACH AREA OF THE BUDGET. SO THEY'RE USING THAT AS A FRAMEWORK GOING INTO THIS SESSION THAT STARTED TODAY NOW, THAT'S A LITTLE THAT'S LIKE 2 BILLION DOLLARS MORE. THEN THE CURRENT BUDGET. BUT STATE LAWMAKERS, LEGISLATIVE LEADERS HAVE SAID WHEN YOU FACTOR AND FEDERAL MONEY THAT HASN'T BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT YET. ANOTHER STORE SAYS THAT IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE LESS THAN THE CURRENT SPENDING PLANS. SO I DO PREDICT THAT THE SPENDING PLAN IT'S GOING TO BE SIMILAR TO THE ONE WE HAVE NOW, JUST IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF MONEY. BUT IT IS NOT GOING TO SEE A LITTLE ABOUT TIGHTENING. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE MAJOR STICKING POINTS AS LAWMAKERS TRY TO TO GET THIS BUDGET FIGURED OUT. >> IT'S GOING TO BE A NUMBER OF MAJOR STICKING POINTS. I'LL START HIGHER EDUCATION. THE BIGGEST THING THERE IS GOVERNOR DESANTIS WANTS TO GIVE THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, SARASOTA MANATEE CAMPUS TO NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA AND SARASOTA AND LOCAL BUSINESS GROUPS IN THAT AREA ARE REALLY UP IN ARMS ABOUT IT. THEY ACTUALLY HELD A RALLY LAST FRIDAY BECAUSE THEY SAY THAT U.S. STAFF, THE STUDENTS THAT GRADUATE OUT OF THERE, IT REALLY SORT OF FEEDS THE JOB PIPELINE AND ACCOUNTING AND HEALTH CARE AND REALLY MAJORS THAT. NEW COLLEGE DOESN'T EVEN OFFER UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES WHEN IT COMES TO K THROUGH 12 EDUCATION. THE HOUSE AND SENATE BUDGETS DURING THE REGULAR SESSION, WHERE ABOUT 300 MILLION DOLLARS APART ON THAT. AND THERE WAS EVEN SOME DISAGREEMENT OVER WHETHER TO INCLUDE LIKE THE 4 AND A HALF BILLION IN THE STATE. THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER PROGRAM IN THAT MAIN PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA. AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO STATE EMPLOYEES, THE SENATE WANTED MORE MONEY FOR RAISES FOR STATE WORKERS AND THE HOUSE DID THE HOUSE ALSO WANTED TO ADDRESS THIS 362 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT OF SHORTFALL IN THE FUND THAT PAYS FOR STATE EMPLOYEES. HEALTH INSURANCE AND HERE'S THE STICKING POINT. I THINK THAT RELATES TO ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. THERE ARE WIDE GAPS BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND SENATE DURING THE REGULAR SESSION FOR GOVERNOR DESANTIS. USE OF HIS POWER TO CALL A NUMBER OF ANNOUNCED AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION AND IN JANUARY OF 2023, HE DID. CREATE AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION ON IMMIGRATION. AND HE'S JUST BEEN RENEWING THAT EVERY 60 DAYS EVER SENSE. SO THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR 3 YEARS NOW. AND WHEN HE DECLARES SUCH A DECLARATION THAT DOES ENABLE HIM TO ACCESS EMERGENCY FUNDS. NOW, TYPICALLY YOU WOULD THINK THOSE WOULD BE USED AND DECLARED STATES OF EMERGENCY FOR LIKE SO IT SEEMS HER ACCENT EXACTLY. HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO USE THIS FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT. AND SO THERE WAS EVEN SOME TALK DURING THE REGULAR SESSION ABOUT KIND OF RAINING AND THE GOVERNOR'S POWER TO USE THAT FUND REGARDLESS OF WHO THE GOVERNOR IS IN THE FUTURE, THEY'RE JUST SORT OF LOOKING AT SORT OF. HOW THAT EXECUTIVE POWER IS BEING USED AND SOME WOULD ARGUE HOW IT'S BEING ABUSED. >> AND THEY HAVE 18 DAYS FOR THIS SPECIAL SESSION. IT COULD. AND I THINK ON MAY 29TH, IF THEY DO NOT REACH AN AGREEMENT PRIOR TO THAT, THAT'S THE VIDEO YOU'RE GOING YOU KNOW, I DO. I THINK IT'S GOING TO TAKE ABOUT THAT TIME. THEY HAVE AROUND UNTIL FRIDAY AFTERNOON. >> LAWMAKERS THIS WEEK ARE JUST GOING TO BE MEETING IN COMMITTEES TO SORT OF HAMMER OUT THOSE DIFFERENCES AND FUNDING IN THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS. I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT LIKE EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION, AGRICULTURE, THE ENVIRONMENT, ANYTHING THAT ISN'T WORKED OUT BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THEN, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET, LEGISLATIVE LEADERS, WE'RE GOING TO WORK TO HAMMER OUT THOSE DIFFERENCES THAT WORKS LARGELY GOING TO BE DONE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND THEN THERE'S A REQUIRED. 72 COOLING OFF 72 HOUR. COOLING OFF PERIOD BEFORE THEY CAN ACTUALLY VOTE ON A BUDGET ONCE THEY HAVE WON. SO THEY'RE THINKING THAT IT'S LIKELY LAWMAKERS WILL TAKE THE MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY OFF AND THEN COME BACK AND VOTE ON THE BUDGET. AND AND THEN, OF COURSE, AND EVERYTHING'S DONE. YOU STILL HAVE THE GOVERNOR'S VETO POWER. SO THINGS ARE HARDLY A SET IN STONE. >> THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE IN A VERY, VERY BUSY 18 DAYS. SO IT'S GOING TO BE A BUSY TIME. YES, THANK YOU, JOHN, FOR SHARING THIS LATEST UPDATE WITH US. THANKS