Florida lawmakers denied Alligator Alcatraz access sue DeSantis [View all]
Source: The Hill
07/11/25 4:33 PM ET
Five state Democratic lawmakers, who were denied entry to Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz earlier this month, sued Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Thursday, arguing he didn’t have the authority to block their effort to conduct oversight of the migrant detention facility.
“The DeSantis Administration’s refusal to let us in wasn’t some bureaucratic misstep,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement, as reported by The Associated Press. “It was a deliberate obstruction meant to hide what’s really happening behind those gates.”
The lawmakers on Saturday were turned away from the detention facility, which is in the Florida Everglades and is overseen by the state. In the state Supreme Court lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue state law does not inhibit their efforts to conduct legislative oversight of the facility.
“There is no statute that permits the Governor to overrule the Legislature’s oversight authority. This lawsuit is about defending the rule of law, protecting vulnerable people inside that facility, and stopping the normalization of executive overreach,” the statement from the lawmakers reads. The group is suing DeSantis as well as the head of Florida’s emergency management agency, Kevin Guthrie.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5397365-florida-democrats-desantis-alligator-alcatraz-lawsuit/
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/44ca2c18-0519-443d-b3e4-76417c181607/docketentrydocuments/d5594106-434d-421e-98a0-6d19cb659e8c
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