The storm came after the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” opened Tuesday with a celebratory visit from President Trump and other state and federal officials. The 3,000-capacity tent center is comprised of aluminum frame tents which hold bunk beds inside metal cages. Detainees will be held here while awaiting deportation, officials say.
Following the grand opening, Spectrum News 13 Florida Capitol correspondent Jason Delgado shared video footage to X of water seeping into one of the tents and creating puddles amid the storm.
DeSantis administration officials say the leaks were fixed overnight.
“Any seam that had an issue where there was water leakage has already been fixed overnight,” DeSantis administration communications director Bryan Griffin said at a press conference Wednesday, as reported by the Florida Phoenix.
Florida Division of Emergency Management, which will oversee the site with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, released a statement saying echoing Griffin’s assurance that seams had been tightened.
Stephanie Hartman, FDEM director of communications, described the water intrusion as “minimal,” the Phoenix reports.
The controversial and hurriedly constructed facility has drawn widespread backlash from environmental groups, who have launched a lawsuit over what they expect to be severe environmental harm.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pushed back on the lawsuit during a Fox News appearance ahead of the grand opening Tuesday morning.
“These are sham lawsuits,” he said. “This area has been developed for years. This temporary light infrastructure is not touching the Everglades at all.”
The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, where the detention facility is located, is in fact within the Florida Everglades.
This post first appeared at our sibling publication Orlando Weekly.
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This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2025.