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The Independent
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Florida signs $245 million in contracts for 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Here's a look by the numbers
Gov. Ron DeSantis ' administration has already signed contracts to pay at least $245 million to set up and run the new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz," according to a public database. The amount — to be fronted by Florida taxpayers — is in line with the $450 million a year officials have estimated the facility will cost. It's also a reminder of the public funding that DeSantis' Republican administration is spending to help carry out President Donald Trump 's mass deportation agenda. Human rights advocates, faith leaders and environmentalists have condemned the detention center. So has Mark Morgan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first term. Morgan wrote an opinion piece published by Fox News criticizing the facility as 'built for headlines' and 'ripe for failure, mismanagement and corruption.' Here's a look by the numbers. More than $245 million allocated so far A state database of government contracts shows that since Florida officials announced plans for the facility on June 19, the Executive Office of the Governor has awarded at least two dozen contracts totaling more than $245 million in taxpayer funds to build and manage the facility. It rose in a matter of days from a county-owned airstrip surrounded by swampland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami. All the contracts were awarded under an executive order declaring an illegal immigration emergency the governor first enacted in 2023 and which he has renewed since then. The order grants the state sweeping authority to suspend 'any statute, rule or order' seen as slowing the response to the emergency, including requirements to competitively bid public contracts. State officials say at least some of the cost will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. But in court documents filed earlier this month, attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security stated that the federal government had yet to reimburse Florida for any of the costs. The department made clear that 'Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority.' The largest contract totals $78.5 million The single largest state contract related to the facility is a $78.5 million deal with Critical Response Strategies, a Jacksonville-based consulting firm. The responsibilities covered include hiring a warden, camp managers, corrections officers and IT workers. Other major contractor include Longview Solutions Group, which is being paid $25.6 million for site preparation, civil engineering, road construction and fence installation. Doodie Calls, a St. Petersburg-based supplier of portable toilets and shower trailers, was awarded a $22 million contract. The firm Gothams landed a $21.1 million contract to provide IT services, access badges and wristbands for detainees, while SLSCO LTD and Garner Environmental Services were both awarded $19.7 million deals to build out the site and handle ongoing maintenance. Corrections officers to be paid up to $11,600 a month One of the contracts shared with The Associated Press shows Critical Response Strategies was set hire a warden for the temporary facility at $125 an hour and potentially spend more than $400,000 in overtime pay. It's not clear how long staffers can expect to work at the facility. Corrections officers at the facility can expect to earn up to $11,600 a month, plus overtime, according to a job posting for the company on LinkedIn. The starting pay for Florida's rank-and-file corrections officers is $22 an hour or about $3,800 a month at the state's brick-and-mortar prisons, which have been so persistently understaffed that DeSantis deployed members of the Florida National Guard to work at them for more than two years. Zero publicly available contract documents As journalists and watchdogs have raised questions about the contracts and companies behind them, documents detailing deliverables and line-item spending have disappeared from the state's website. They've been replaced with one-page invoices that show little more than the names of the companies, how much they're charging, the dates on which each deal was signed and an address for where to send the bill. Some multimillion dollar contracts were awarded to political donors who have given to campaigns supporting DeSantis and other Republicans. The governor's office directed questions about the contracts to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency in charge of building the detention center. Spokesperson Stephanie Hartman said the contracts were removed because they included 'proprietary information that shouldn't have been uploaded.' The department did not answer questions about whether the full contracts would be released. ___
Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Florida signs $245 million in contracts for 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Here's a look by the numbers
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis ' administration has already signed contracts to pay at least $245 million to set up and run the new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' according to a public database. The amount — to be fronted by Florida taxpayers — is in line with the $450 million a year officials have estimated the facility will cost. It's also a reminder of the public funding that DeSantis' Republican administration is spending to help carry out President Donald Trump 's mass deportation agenda. Human rights advocates, faith leaders and environmentalists have condemned the detention center. So has Mark Morgan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first term. Morgan wrote an opinion piece published by Fox News criticizing the facility as 'built for headlines' and 'ripe for failure, mismanagement and corruption.' Here's a look by the numbers. More than $245 million allocated so far A state database of government contracts shows that since Florida officials announced plans for the facility on June 19, the Executive Office of the Governor has awarded at least two dozen contracts totaling more than $245 million in taxpayer funds to build and manage the facility. It rose in a matter of days from a county-owned airstrip surrounded by swampland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami. All the contracts were awarded under an executive order declaring an illegal immigration emergency the governor first enacted in 2023 and which he has renewed since then. The order grants the state sweeping authority to suspend 'any statute, rule or order' seen as slowing the response to the emergency, including requirements to competitively bid public contracts. State officials say at least some of the cost will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. But in court documents filed earlier this month, attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security stated that the federal government had yet to reimburse Florida for any of the costs. The department made clear that 'Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority.' The largest contract totals $78.5 million The single largest state contract related to the facility is a $78.5 million deal with Critical Response Strategies, a Jacksonville-based consulting firm. The responsibilities covered include hiring a warden, camp managers, corrections officers and IT workers. Other major contractor include Longview Solutions Group, which is being paid $25.6 million for site preparation, civil engineering, road construction and fence installation. Doodie Calls, a St. Petersburg-based supplier of portable toilets and shower trailers, was awarded a $22 million contract. The firm Gothams landed a $21.1 million contract to provide IT services, access badges and wristbands for detainees, while SLSCO LTD and Garner Environmental Services were both awarded $19.7 million deals to build out the site and handle ongoing maintenance. Corrections officers to be paid up to $11,600 a month One of the contracts shared with The Associated Press shows Critical Response Strategies was set hire a warden for the temporary facility at $125 an hour and potentially spend more than $400,000 in overtime pay. It's not clear how long staffers can expect to work at the facility. Corrections officers at the facility can expect to earn up to $11,600 a month, plus overtime, according to a job posting for the company on LinkedIn. The starting pay for Florida's rank-and-file corrections officers is $22 an hour or about $3,800 a month at the state's brick-and-mortar prisons, which have been so persistently understaffed that DeSantis deployed members of the Florida National Guard to work at them for more than two years. Zero publicly available contract documents As journalists and watchdogs have raised questions about the contracts and companies behind them, documents detailing deliverables and line-item spending have disappeared from the state's website. They've been replaced with one-page invoices that show little more than the names of the companies, how much they're charging, the dates on which each deal was signed and an address for where to send the bill. Some multimillion dollar contracts were awarded to political donors who have given to campaigns supporting DeSantis and other Republicans. The governor's office directed questions about the contracts to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency in charge of building the detention center. Spokesperson Stephanie Hartman said the contracts were removed because they included 'proprietary information that shouldn't have been uploaded.' The department did not answer questions about whether the full contracts would be released. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Sod Turned For First Build At Precinct North
Press Release – Hamilton Airport New Zealand-owned company Asmuss will be the first tenant at Precinct North, the newest stage of the 170-hectare business park bordering the Airport. Titanium Park Ltd (TPL) is the property arm of Waikato Regional Airport Ltd. Soil has been turned on the first building at Precinct North, part of the massive Titanium Park business and industrial estate being developed at Hamilton Airport. New Zealand-owned company Asmuss will be the first tenant at Precinct North, the newest stage of the 170-hectare business park bordering the Airport. Titanium Park Ltd (TPL) is the property arm of Waikato Regional Airport Ltd. The first sod has been turned on a purpose-built 5,000-square metre building for Asmuss, a New Zealand-owned company whose polyethylene pipe extrusion plant has outgrown its Te Rapa facility. When the build is complete in April next year, the Waikato-based Asmuss operation, including around 40 staff, will move from Te Rapa and become anchor tenants. Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the Asmuss design and build deal sees the Airport taking on the build in return for a long-term tenancy from a quality business. It will be a joint project alongside Asmuss and Hamilton-based construction company Fosters, he said. 'We see this contract with Asmuss as the beginning of a long-term relationship that will set the scene for what we want to achieve here,' he said. 'Being first off the block in Precinct North means Asmuss will help us set a benchmark in terms of design and we intend to set that benchmark pretty high.' Asmuss chief executive Dean Brown said the expansion of the company's manufacturing capability was about investing for the future 'in an absolutely prime location'. 'This latest investment is all about being ready for when the infrastructure market recovers – and it will,' Brown said. 'At Precinct North, we have the ability to further expand if we want to. That's why it's important for us to have design input right from the beginning and to work with a long-term partner who, like us, is focused on opportunity.' Over the coming 15-20 years, Morgan estimates hundreds of millions of dollars will go into developing Titanium Park's Precinct North. Waikato-based contractors MacPhersons have been on site since March undertaking earthworks across the 20-hectare first stage. Cambridge-based civil contractors Camex Civil have been awarded the tender for roads and infrastructure and began work this month. 'This is a massive project not just for us, but for the wider Waikato construction and civil construction industries,' Morgan said. 'Precinct North is big in itself, but is just one stage of a bigger picture. The full development of Titanium Park goes to our core purpose of operating an airport which is financially self-sustaining and provides value to the wider community. We are strategically using our landholdings to develop non-aeronautical income which we can in turn re-invest,' he said. 'Up until now, TPL has essentially been a land developer. Now are becoming a developer and a long-term investor and ultimately, an economic enabler for the region.' When complete, Titanium Park will be one of the biggest business parks in New Zealand. It is just minutes from the Waikato Expressway and is already zoned for a broad range of industrial and commercial activities. Already, more than 30 tenants or owner-occupier businesses are based at the park including Visy, Trade Depot, Tyreline Distributors and StorageKing. When complete over the next 15-20 years, more than 5,000 people are expected to work on site.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Sod Turned For First Build At Precinct North
Soil has been turned on the first building at Precinct North, part of the massive Titanium Park business and industrial estate being developed at Hamilton Airport. New Zealand-owned company Asmuss will be the first tenant at Precinct North, the newest stage of the 170-hectare business park bordering the Airport. Titanium Park Ltd (TPL) is the property arm of Waikato Regional Airport Ltd. The first sod has been turned on a purpose-built 5,000-square metre building for Asmuss, a New Zealand-owned company whose polyethylene pipe extrusion plant has outgrown its Te Rapa facility. When the build is complete in April next year, the Waikato-based Asmuss operation, including around 40 staff, will move from Te Rapa and become anchor tenants. Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the Asmuss design and build deal sees the Airport taking on the build in return for a long-term tenancy from a quality business. It will be a joint project alongside Asmuss and Hamilton-based construction company Fosters, he said. 'We see this contract with Asmuss as the beginning of a long-term relationship that will set the scene for what we want to achieve here,' he said. 'Being first off the block in Precinct North means Asmuss will help us set a benchmark in terms of design and we intend to set that benchmark pretty high.' Asmuss chief executive Dean Brown said the expansion of the company's manufacturing capability was about investing for the future 'in an absolutely prime location'. 'This latest investment is all about being ready for when the infrastructure market recovers – and it will,' Brown said. 'At Precinct North, we have the ability to further expand if we want to. That's why it's important for us to have design input right from the beginning and to work with a long-term partner who, like us, is focused on opportunity.' Over the coming 15-20 years, Morgan estimates hundreds of millions of dollars will go into developing Titanium Park's Precinct North. Waikato-based contractors MacPhersons have been on site since March undertaking earthworks across the 20-hectare first stage. Cambridge-based civil contractors Camex Civil have been awarded the tender for roads and infrastructure and began work this month. 'This is a massive project not just for us, but for the wider Waikato construction and civil construction industries,' Morgan said. 'Precinct North is big in itself, but is just one stage of a bigger picture. The full development of Titanium Park goes to our core purpose of operating an airport which is financially self-sustaining and provides value to the wider community. We are strategically using our landholdings to develop non-aeronautical income which we can in turn re-invest,' he said. 'Up until now, TPL has essentially been a land developer. Now are becoming a developer and a long-term investor and ultimately, an economic enabler for the region.' When complete, Titanium Park will be one of the biggest business parks in New Zealand. It is just minutes from the Waikato Expressway and is already zoned for a broad range of industrial and commercial activities. Already, more than 30 tenants or owner-occupier businesses are based at the park including Visy, Trade Depot, Tyreline Distributors and StorageKing. When complete over the next 15-20 years, more than 5,000 people are expected to work on site. WRAL (Waikato Regional Airport Ltd) is a council-controlled organisation owned by Hamilton City, Otorohanga, Waipā, Waikato and Matamata-Piako District Councils and is the umbrella for subsidiary companies Hamilton Airport, Jet Park Hotel Hamilton Airport, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism (HWT) and Titanium Park Limited.
RNZ News
21-06-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Ninety-minute delay as fog forces Sydney to Hamilton flight to circle airport
Photo: 123rf A Jetstar flight from Sydney had to circle in a holding pattern on Saturday because fog at Hamilton Airport prevented its landing. A spokesperson for the airport, which recently restarted international flights, said it was out of an abundance of caution. Jetstar said flight JQ165 made two go-arounds, and these are standard procedures. Hamilton Airport chief executive, Mark Morgan, said he believed passengers spent about an extra hour in the air, while flight tracking website reported that the flight was delayed by one hour and 29 minutes. A screenshot from the flight tracking website showing flight JQ165 circling Hamilton Airport after fog prevented its landing. Photo: Supplied / The plane eventually landed at 12.34pm. Fog also affected seven regional flights at Auckland Airport Saturday morning. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
