Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has accused the Miami Herald of crafting a ‘failed drive-by attempt’ to discredit the state’s plans for the controversial immigrant detention facility known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ following a media dispute sparked by critical reporting on the lack of a formal hurricane contingency plan.
The dispute erupted after the Miami Herald published a piece on Tuesday, headlined ‘Florida has no formal hurricane plan for Alligator Alcatraz,’ which claimed that the state had not provided a completed plan for handling a hurricane at the site. The report noted that the Miami Herald had requested the plan from the Florida Department of Emergency Management two weeks prior, only to be informed that no such document existed. DeSantis, however, dismissed the report as a ‘false narrative’ that could be easily disproven, leading to a public confrontation with the media.
DeSantis retweeted a post from Florida’s Voice Radio, which shared screenshots of a document from Florida’s Safety Emergency Response Team regarding the South Florida Detention Facility Continuity of Operations Plan. The post criticized the Miami Herald for what it described as ‘FAKE NEWS,’ arguing that Florida, a state historically vulnerable to hurricanes, was well-prepared. The governor also endorsed the post, amplifying the criticism of the media outlet.
Following the backlash, the Miami Herald updated its story to reflect new information, noting that Florida had released a redacted draft of a hurricane plan. However, the document provided little new detail and cited exemptions to public records laws to obscure much of its content. This raised questions about transparency and the state’s readiness for natural disasters at the facility, which lies in the vulnerable Everglades region.
The incident has further strained relations between DeSantis and the media, with the governor accusing legacy outlets of undermining his administration’s messaging. The dispute has also drawn attention from other political figures, with some red states considering similar initiatives to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ under the federal government’s guidance, reflecting the broader polarization around immigration and emergency preparedness.