Florida releases heavily blacked out Alligator Alcatraz hurricane plan

Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 30, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Florida emergency management officials released a heavily blacked-out disaster plan for the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center on Wednesday, just two days after saying they had no document detailing what the camp would do if threatened by a hurricane.

The 33-page draft plan appears to detail alternate facilities that could be used in an evacuation, procedures for detainee transportation and other measures that would be enacted in the event of a powerful storm or other emergency.

But specific details are a secret. Officials blacked out almost all of the pages, citing exemptions in the state’s public records law that allow information about “tactical operations” during emergencies to be shielded from disclosure.

The Everglades facility, capable of holding up to 2,000 people and potentially 2,000 more, has faced a barrage of questions about how detainees would be kept safe in the hurricane-prone area. Safety concerns have been raised by critics since the project was announced last month. The facility started accepting detainees in early July, about a month into the hurricane season that runs through November.

The Orlando Sentinel filed a public records request on July 7 asking for the facility’s hurricane plan, but the Division of Emergency Management responded Monday that “no responsive records” were found. Asked for clarification on Wednesday, the agency released the draft plan. The title page notes it is for tropical cyclones but could be used for all hazards.

State officials have said the fabric-and-steel-frame tent city is designed to withstand Category 2 winds of up to 110 mph, and contingency measures are available if a stronger storm threatens.

“I promise you that the hurricane guys have got the hurricane stuff covered,” said Kevin Guthrie, the state’s emergency management director, last week.

The document, titled the South Florida Detention Center Continuity of Operations Plan, aims to maintain custody of detainees during an evacuation, ensure the continuation of medical care and other vital services, keep communications operational and protect detainee legal records and documentations. The plan also notes vendors have developed their own procedures for an emergency.

It lists five potential alternate facilities in the event of an evacuation, but those sites are blacked out. Emergency management officials have looked at underused state prisons to use in case of an evacuation, including the DeSoto Correctional Institution in Arcadia, the Sentinel reported Friday.

Florida is using state emergency funds to build the detention center, which is estimated to cost about $450 million a year to operate. DeSantis has said he is confident that the federal government will reimburse the state.

_____

(Orlando Sentinel staff writer Jeffrey Schweers contributed to this report.)

_____