GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median
Federal watchdog found no contract authorising Alligator Alcatraz as a detention facility.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
The Government Accountability Office said ICE did not instruct Florida to open the Florida Soft-Sided Facility and did not enter into a contract or agreement authorising its operation as a federal immigration detention centre DHSgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photograph: IBTimes UK (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention centre charged $249 per detainee per day, a rate 171% higher than Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) median of $92, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
- The GAO found that ICE did not have a contract or agreement authorising the use of the Florida Soft-Sided Facility as a federal immigration detention centre.
- FEMA awarded Florida $608.4 million in September 2025 for detention support, with approximately $58.2 million disbursed by May 2026 for operating costs.
- The facility operated for about a year and closed in June 2026.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
86/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
15/100
6 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
A federal watchdog reported that Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention centre charged $249 per detainee per day. This rate was 171% higher than the median rate of $92 charged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in fiscal year 2026. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) also found that ICE lacked a contract or agreement authorising the Florida Soft-Sided Facility's operation as a federal immigration detention centre.
The facility was managed by Florida's Division of Emergency Management and contractors. The federal government reimbursed the state through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant programme. FEMA awarded Florida $608.4 million on 30 September 2025. By May 2026, approximately $58.2 million of this had been disbursed for allowable operating costs, including staffing, supplies, meals, and detainee services. The Alligator Alcatraz facility opened in July 2025 and closed in June 2026.
Disagreement on authorisation
The GAO stated that ICE did not have a contract or agreement authorising the Florida Soft-Sided Facility as a federal immigration detention centre. The Tampa Bay Times digest reported that the DeSantis administration ran the site without proper authorisation from federal immigration officials.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports below mention the specific findings of the DHS Office of Inspector General inspection regarding detention standards, such as living space, recreation, medical care, food service, and personal hygiene, which were detailed in the full IBTimes UK report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 30 Sept 2026, 14:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- IBTimes UK led on the high cost of the Alligator Alcatraz detention centre, reporting the GAO's finding that it charged $249 per detainee per day, 171% more than ICE's median rate. The outlet also highlighted the GAO's finding that ICE had no contract or agreement authorising the facility's use. It included comments from Stephanie Hartman, communications director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, who dismissed the GAO, stating, 'Nobody takes the GAO seriously.' IBTimes UK also reported on a separate DHS Office of Inspector General inspection that found the facility did not comply with detention standards regarding living space, recreation, medical care, food service, and personal hygiene. Governor Ron DeSantis was quoted defending the centre, saying officials had taken steps to exceed federal requirements. The outlet noted the GAO's recommendation for ICE to develop a strategic plan for detention expansion.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The Tampa Bay Times digest focused on the GAO report's finding that the DeSantis administration ran the Alligator Alcatraz site without proper authorisation from federal immigration officials. The digest also mentioned the report raised concerns about the facility's costs.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 83% are rated left, 17% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median biased?
- GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median is one event reported by 6 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered GAO: Florida detention centre cost 171% more than ICE median?
- 6 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How much did the Alligator Alcatraz detention centre charge per detainee?
- The Government Accountability Office reported that the Alligator Alcatraz detention centre charged $249 per detainee per day. This was 171% higher than the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's median rate of $92 in fiscal year 2026.
- Was the Alligator Alcatraz facility authorised as a federal detention centre?
- According to the Government Accountability Office, ICE did not have a contract or agreement authorising the Florida Soft-Sided Facility to operate as a federal immigration detention centre. The Tampa Bay Times digest also stated the site ran without proper federal authorisation.
- How much federal funding did Florida receive for detention support?
- FEMA awarded Florida $608.4 million on 30 September 2025, for detention support. By May 2026, approximately $58.2 million of this amount had been disbursed for allowable operating costs.
Read it at the source
6 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- 'Nobody Takes the GAO Seriously': Florida Official Dismisses Report on Alligator Alcatraz Funding (opens IBTimes UK in a new tab)
IBTimes UK — is IBTimes UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ICE wasted taxpayer money on Alligator Alcatraz with no contract, report finds (opens The Daily Item in a new tab)
The Daily Item — is The Daily Item biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ICE wasted taxpayer money on Alligator Alcatraz with no contract, report finds (opens Lodinews.com in a new tab)
Lodinews.com — is Lodinews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ICE wasted taxpayer money on Alligator Alcatraz with no contract, report finds (opens Miami Herald in a new tab)
Miami Herald — is Miami Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Alligator Alcatraz' cost taxpayers more, federal report says (opens NBC Miami in a new tab)
Centre
1Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
