Florida emergency officials have released a heavily redacted 33-page draft plan outlining evacuation procedures for the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in the event of a hurricane.
The plan left lawmakers and advocates demanding more transparency.
Redacted pages leave key questions unanswered
The draft, titled South Florida Detention Facility Continuity of Operations Plan, was issued by the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
It outlines broad hurricane evacuation protocols, including transportation, staffing and relocation procedures for detainees. However, large portions of the document—sometimes entire pages—have been blacked out, including the list of five alternate facilities that could be used during an evacuation.
On page 4, the plan reads: “The geography [of] this location, while ideal for integrated detention operations in support of the DHS–ICE initiatives, is vulnerable to tropical weather.”
It continues: “All vendors have developed individual continuity planning procedures to include the level of staffing necessary to support the STDF concurrently with evacuation and relocation of detainees to alternate facilities…”
Who those vendors are and what the procedures entail remains unclear.
DeSantis administration defends facility’s storm readiness
Gov. Ron DeSantis and state officials addressed the facility’s storm readiness at a press conference held at Alligator Alcatraz last week.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie stated that the facility could withstand winds up to a Category 2 hurricane.
“I may have visited some facilities in the state of Florida. Why? Because this facility, as I’ve said before, can withstand category winds of up to category 2,” Guthrie said.
He added that for anything stronger, evacuation would be necessary.
“When we have that situation, we will have to do an evacuation, and it’s coming upon the Florida Division of Emergency Management to be able to take care of that.”
Lawmakers demand clarity
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a vocal critic of the facility, toured Alligator Alcatraz on July 12 and later referred to it as an “internment camp.”
Reacting to the redacted plan, she told CBS News Miami, “We cannot go by just blacked-out information in a 30-page document and just trust the DeSantis administration.”
She emphasized the need for accountability and clarity: “This is what is unacceptable. We absolutely need to have a clear, written, confirmed plan in hand from the Division of Emergency Management and ICE, who are responsible for these detainees at the end of the day.”
CBS News Miami has reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for more information. As of Thursday, the agency has not responded.
