Contracts Show Millions of Dollars and Diverted Disaster Resources Were Used to Build DeSantis’ ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

TPM has obtained and analyzed over a dozen contracts and invoices related to the construction and operation of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention camp in the Everglades. The documents identify eight previously undisclosed companies — including two firms with a Fortune 500 pedigree — involved with the controversial facility. They also show that, in at least one instance, resources allocated for the state’s “disaster preparedness” apparatus were diverted to the site as DeSantis’ office used emergency powers to quickly establish the camp, causing a shortfall that needs to be addressed during the ongoing hurricane season. 

The camp was first announced by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who is DeSantis’ former chief of staff and was manager of the governor’s unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign, late last month. The state began to move quickly to stand it up. That quick pace was captured by the contracts, which included at least one with “rush” fees, the diverted disaster resources, and indications the facility was still being built out and supplied after it was officially opened on July 1. 

In the weeks since plans for the site were revealed, opponents have raised alarms about its potential environmental impact, whether it would afford due process to detainees, and the harsh conditions in the swampy region. There have also been concerns about transparency, including attorneys’ access to the people being held and the identities of the firms that received contracts for equipment and services provided to the facility. 

TPM has identified contracts and invoices totaling $19,983,785.03 in the Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACTS) that were issued to nine different firms. In one instance, the chief executive of a company contacted by TPM stated that he was unaware the business’ products were being used for the detention camp. 

The FACTS system, which is maintained by the state’s Department of Financial Services, lists all of these contracts and invoices as coming from the executive office of the governor and categorizes them as “Emergency procurement per Executive Order.” At points during the reporting of this story, TPM observed figures changing on the FACTS website. It is not certain the figures cited in these contracts represent the final amount paid. For 11 of the contracts and invoices in this story, PDF files of the “original” were initially available in FACTS. All of those PDF files were removed during the course of our reporting. Except in one instance, all of the data cited in this story is from these “original” documents. The Department of Financial Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

DeSantis is building the facility, which will reportedly cost at least $450 million a year, by leveraging an ongoing state of emergency that he first declared with an executive order in early 2023 in response to what he described as an “alarming influx of migrants.” All of the contracts and invoices cited by TPM mention “TNT,” an acronym which has been used to describe the site of the camp, which was constructed at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Big Cypress National Preserve. 

One of the contracts, which the system identified as being created on July 1, provided for $499,869.60 to be paid to Baker’s Electronics & Communications Inc. for an “Atlas trunked radio system,” a platform often used by public safety agencies for critical and emergency communications. The contract specified that the system was for the “TNT” facility and that the “Atlas systems deployed at the site” were “pulled from disaster preparedness platform” [sic]. The document further indicated that, as a result of radio systems from the state’s emergency infrastructure being “pulled” to “Alligator Alcatraz,” the system needed to “be back-filled to prevent a response gap during hurricane season given the unknown duration of detention center operation.” 

While the contract outlined a plan to address the issue, it also indicated the push to quickly supply the detention camp led to a shortfall of necessary disaster preparedness equipment during hurricane season, which runs from June 1 until November 30. 

Douglas Baker, the CEO of Baker’s Communications, did not respond to a request for comment from TPM. DeSantis’ office also did not respond to a request for comment on this story. 

‘I Do Not Know What They’re Doing With That’ 

“Alligator Alcatraz” has been part of DeSantis’ efforts to assist with President Donald Trump’s “mass deportation” agenda in his state. It has provided the governor a political boost and helped heal the rift between him and Trump that emerged after they ran against each other in last year’s Republican presidential primary. The detention camp officially opened on July 1 with a ceremony attended by both DeSantis and Trump. 

“Welcome to Alligator Alcatraz — I like that name by the way,” DeSantis told the president as Air Force One arrived for the event. 

Trump and other Republicans have reveled in that nickname and in the idea that the harsh environment surrounding the site would prove hazardous for the migrants detained there. The project has inspired mocking memes from White House aides and even merch sold by the House GOP with an image of a smirking gator and the slogan “ICE WITH A BITE.” As he toured the grounds, Trump declared that it was “not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon.”

“We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator … if they escape prison,” Trump said. “You have a lot of bodyguards, you have a lot of cops, that are in the form of alligators.” 

Since that opening event, other officials have been allowed to tour the facility. While Republicans have defended the conditions there, Democrats have described it as inhumane. In a news conference after she visited the site on July 12, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) blasted it as an “internment camp.”

“They are essentially packed into cages, wall to wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,” Wasserman Schultz said. 

The scrutiny on “Alligator Alcatraz” has also included questions about who exactly is profiting from the controversial detention center. On Monday, the Florida State Democratic Party announced it had “filed a formal public records request with the Governor’s Office and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, seeking all documents related to the state contracts behind the internment camp known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’” In a statement, Florida State Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said she was concerned about what she described as a “human rights crisis” as well as the high costs of the facility, the “rushed” speed with which it is being built, and indications DeSantis “is abusing emergency powers to hand out no-bid contracts to political donors.”

In addition to the Baker’s Electronics contract, TPM identified 11 other contracts and invoices that the FACTS system indicated went to eight different companies for products and services provided at the “TNT” site. The largest was an $11,903,977.18 contract with Meridian Rapid Defense Group LLC, a firm that builds “anti-vehicle” barriers that are used to secure facilities and events. Meridian’s products have been deployed at many high-profile gatherings, including the 2024 Democratic National Convention and DeSantis’ 2023 inauguration. 

According to the system, the contract, which was executed on July 9, provided for the “purchase of 100 meridian barrier trailer sets – to be delivered in increments of 20 per month over the next five months.” It specified these items would be used for the “TNT” facility and indicated they would be delivered between August 31 and December 31 of this year. 

In a conversation with TPM on Tuesday evening, Peter Whitford, Meridian’s CEO, suggested that his company was unaware where state officials were using its products. 

“When we supply the Division of Emergency Management out of Florida, we supply product to them,” Whitford told TPM. “What they do with that product is not part of our purview.

“You’re reading a contract I have no visibility to,” he added.

Whitford declined to review the contract TPM obtained via the FACTS system. 

“I do not need to see any document other than what I get from the division of Homeland Security,” he said. “I do not know what they’re doing with that. I do not know if one set is going there or 100 sets are going there. So, for me to make a comment on hypothetically where they’re going would not be appropriate.”

“We have received the purchase order,” he added. “We are advised prior to delivery where they are going.”

Whitford referred all questions to Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, which was listed as the purchaser on all of the detention camp contracts identified by TPM. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Heavy Equipment

After the Meridian contract, the next largest payment that TPM could identify going to a company was a $5,955,875.35 invoice to Lemoine CDR Logistics LLC, a company that works on projects related to construction, infrastructure, and disaster response. The invoice was part of a $36,848,875 contract that went to another business, Longview International Technology Solutions Inc., which does business as “LTS.” That contract was created on July 9. Since then, its status has been listed as “terminated” in the FACTS system and the total amount reduced to zero dollars. It is not clear if this invoice was paid. All of the other contracts cited in this story have, as of this writing, an “active” status in FACTS.

According to the documents posted in the FACTS system, the larger LTS contract was for “initial TNT site preparation” that began on June 24, the day after Uthmeier, the Florida attorney general, said the detention camp plan was approved by the federal government. The LTS contract lists an address located at the airport site as the “mission location.” Lemoine CDR Logistics LLC did not respond to a request for comment. 

None of the other “TNT” contracts identified by TPM included payments above seven figures. According to the “original” pdf documents that were previously available in the FACTS system, Public Safety Solutions MO LLC, a firm focused on communications for first responders, received a $848,420.22 contract that was created July 1 for “the purchase of 200 portable and 10 Mobile units plus accessories for the facilities.” That contract specifically indicated it was for the “TNT” facility. On the FACTS site, the contract is currently listed as “active” and shows a new payment amount of more than $900,000. Public Safety Solutions MO LLC did not respond to a request for comment. 

Williams Communications, another firm dedicated to “mission critical communications,” has two contracts that appear in the database. One, which was executed on July 1, said they would be paid $245,141.04 for the purchase of LRAD100X systems “to be used in conjunction with the TNT mission.” The LRAD100X is marketed as a device with a “warning tone” that “commands attention to the voice messages that follow and provides a safer alternative to non-lethal and kinetic measures for changing behavior.” A second contract, executed on July 4, said Williams would be paid $47,730 for 300 “Batteries for XL series radios” for the “TNT” facility. Williams Communications did not respond to a request for comment. 

Another contract in the FACTS system that was executed on July 3 indicated Will-Burt Integration & Elevation Systems, Inc. would be paid $259,012 to provide a “New Alumitower” for the “TNT” facility. The company offers “tower-trailer-shelter systems that withstand the harshest environments of today’s battlefields.” Will-Burt did not respond to a request for comment. 

There are two “TNT” contracts in the FACTS system with CDW Government, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fortune 500 IT firm CDW. One of the contracts, which was executed on July 3, said CDW Government would be paid $128,132.40 for “Pepwave items for WiFi at TNT.” A pdf file of the second contract was not posted in FACTS, but based on information displayed in the system as of this writing, it was executed on July 12 and provided $42,828.24 “for the [computer-aided dispatch] system in the TNT dispatch center. with additional items for the radio system.” 

Another Fortune 500 corporate giant, Motorola Solutions Inc., has two “TNT” contracts that appear in FACTS and were executed on July 3. The company, which is the legal successor to Motorola Inc., was formed after that business split off its mobile phone division. One of the Motorola Solutions Inc. contracts indicated $27,865 would be paid for “the purchase of 150 batteries, 50 belt clips and 50 Multiband antennas” for the “TNT” facility. The other provided $2,192 for “Motorola belt clips for 200 radios” for the “TNT” facility. A spokesperson for Motorola Solutions Inc. did not respond to a request for comment. 

Memes and NDAs

In its previous reporting on the “Alligator Alcatraz” contractors, the Miami Herald identified three that “have given money to Gov. Ron DeSantis or the Republican Party of Florida for statewide campaigns.” The biggest donors were Carlos Duart and Tina Vidal-Duart, who the paper reported “have given a total of $1.9 million to the two state political action committees supporting DeSantis’ bids for governor and to the Republican Party of Florida.” The pair are married Miami socialites who are the chief executives of two firms involved with the facility, CDR Maguire and its affiliate, CDR Health. In a text message exchange with TPM earlier this month, Duart declined to comment and said they were “under NDAs.” 

There was only one DeSantis donor among the chief executives of the companies newly identified by TPM as being involved with “Alligator Alcatraz.” Ed Mansouri, the owner, founder, and chief executive of WeatherSTEM Inc., gave $3,000 to DeSantis in late November 2021. According to FACTS, WeatherSTEM Inc. received a contract that was executed on July 3 and stipulated $24,740 would be paid for “2 lightning alert sirens” that would be “added to the portable WeatherSTEM station located at the EMS base and at the staff village of the TNT site to efficiently alert staff of lightning detection for safety purposes.” The contract listed an address located adjacent to “Alligator Alcatraz” and indicated there would be a $750 “rush fee” charged for delivery of each siren. 

In a phone conversation with TPM on Tuesday afternoon, Mansouri described himself as “a big fan of Governor DeSantis.” However, he stressed that his donation and support “has nothing to do with my business interests.” 

“I was very grateful for how he handled the situation with the lockdown, keeping the schools open,” Mansouri said of DeSantis. “I just want to make sure to be clear and unambiguous that my admiration for Gov. DeSantis has nothing to do with my business.”

Mansouri also discussed his firm’s involvement with the detention camp. He said WeatherSTEM Inc. works “very closely” with Florida’s Department of Emergency Management at multiple locations to provide “lifesaving weather technology” that can warn of lightning, winds, and high heat.

“When the Florida Division of Emergency Management reaches out to us and says they need to deploy some weather-related technology, we’re just going to do whatever we need to do to support them,” Mansouri said. “We’re focused on how can we develop technology that protects people, if those people are prisoners, if those people are guards, if those people are on a beach or in a football stadium. We are focused on deploying technology that keeps people safe.”

Mansouri said he initially didn’t realize the contract was related to “Alligator Alcatraz” — until he saw the chatter online. 

“I gleaned that just because of some of the social media,” Mansouri explained. “I had sort of seen some of the memes with pictures of the alligators.”