MIAMI, Fla. — Environmental groups challenging Florida’s controversial Everglades immigration detention center have filed an amended federal lawsuit alleging state and federal officials withheld key information showing Florida had sought federal funding for the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The amended complaint, filed Wednesday, adds new allegations to the ongoing legal battle over the detention center at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Big Cypress region.
Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Earthjustice and attorneys with Coffey Burlington, contend that previously undisclosed records show the Florida Division of Emergency Management prepared an application for federal funding while litigation over the facility was underway.
The groups argue that information was significant because questions over federal involvement and funding played a central role in determining whether construction and operation of the facility were subject to federal environmental review.
The allegations have not yet been adjudicated, and the filing does not establish that Florida or federal officials intentionally misled the courts.
Federal funding at center of dispute
According to the environmental groups, records obtained through public-records litigation show the Florida Division of Emergency Management prepared an initial federal funding application on June 24, 2025, and that the application was sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency no later than July 4.
The plaintiffs say those records conflict with information considered during earlier federal court proceedings over the detention center.
The dispute is particularly significant because a divided panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously relied in part on the understanding that Florida had not applied for federal funding when it blocked an earlier order restricting operation of the facility.
“The court of appeals said more than once that the Florida Department of Emergency Management had not applied for federal funding,” attorney Paul J. Schwiep, who represents Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in announcing the amended action. “We now know this was wrong.”
The groups contend that federal involvement should have triggered environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
Florida and federal officials previously argued that federal environmental requirements did not apply in the manner claimed by the environmental groups.
The funding issue had surfaced previously in the litigation. Records disclosed last year showed discussions about federal reimbursement, and Florida was ultimately approved for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support associated with construction and operation of the detention center.
Environmental lawsuit expands
The amended complaint goes beyond the funding dispute.
The environmental groups have added claims alleging federal officials violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to conduct required consultations concerning potential effects on protected wildlife and habitat.
The detention center was constructed in 2025 in an environmentally sensitive area surrounded by the Everglades ecosystem.
Plaintiffs contend construction and operation of the facility affected habitat used by protected species including the Florida panther and Florida bonneted bat.
They also point to pavement, fencing, lighting, electrical equipment and other infrastructure installed at the site.
The state has defended the detention center as part of Florida’s cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Facility currently closed
The Everglades detention center is currently closed, but the environmental groups argue the possibility of renewed operations remains.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a June press conference that Florida could resume detention operations at the site if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security requested additional capacity.
Some infrastructure also remains at the property, according to the amended lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are seeking environmental review as well as remedies for alleged damage to the surrounding ecosystem.
Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity initially filed their lawsuit in June 2025. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida later joined the litigation.
Hearing scheduled Friday in Miami
The latest filing comes immediately ahead of another federal court hearing.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams is scheduled to hold a hearing at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Miami.
Williams previously ruled in August 2025 that state and federal agencies had failed to comply with environmental review requirements and ordered restrictions on the facility while the litigation continued.
Florida officials appealed that decision.
The amended complaint now puts the newly disclosed funding records — and what state and federal officials knew about them during earlier stages of the litigation — back before the federal court.
The Florida Pundit will continue monitoring the case and Friday’s hearing in Miami.
RELATED COVERAGE
- DeSantis Closes ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ After One Year, Says Detention Center ‘Served Its Purpose’
- Miami-Dade Regains Control of Former ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Site After State Closes Detention Camp
