Judge Rejects Florida Bid to Block 1 Phone per 25 Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz
Updated
Updated · Tallahassee Democrat · May 11
Judge Rejects Florida Bid to Block 1 Phone per 25 Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz
7 articles · Updated · Tallahassee Democrat · May 11
A federal judge refused Florida’s last-minute effort to escape an injunction requiring timely, confidential, unmonitored attorney access for detainees at the Everglades facility known as Alligator Alcatraz.
The May 11 order also leaves in place a requirement for 1 telephone per 25 detainees, rejecting the state’s claims that posting access protocols was compelled speech and that added phones would cost too much.
Florida had put the added equipment and staffing cost at $180,025, far below the camp’s estimated $450 million annual price tag.
Lawyers for detainees have intensified pressure after reports that phones were shut off in early April and detainees who complained were beaten.
The ruling lands as Gov. Ron DeSantis says the camp was always meant to be temporary and officials are reevaluating costs, even as broader lawsuits still seek to close the facility.
Beyond court-ordered phones, how will officials address severe abuse allegations, including punishment 'cages,' at the Florida detention camp?
If Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' closes, what becomes of its detainees and its controversial design using nature as a prison wall?