Florida Owes $603 Million to Contractors in Immigration Crackdown
Florida’s emergency management agency has yet to pay more than $600 million owed to 27 contractors who built migrant lockups and carried out the state’s immigration crackdown.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida’s emergency management agency still owes at least $603 million to 27 companies that helped construct the state’s migrant detention facilities and carry out an undocumented immigration enforcement campaign, according to dozens of contracts reviewed by the Florida Phoenix.
The outstanding debt means the majority of the state’s immigration contracts remain unpaid, even after Florida’s emergency managers already spent roughly half a billion dollars on vendors and other immigration-related costs. All of the agreements under review were active at the time of publication and were signed over an 11-month period beginning in June 2025.
Largest Unpaid Bills
Among the biggest outstanding obligations identified in the contracts, Florida owes $122 million to a portable toilet company, $79 million to a detention center operator, and $65 million to a security contractor, according to the Florida Phoenix’s review.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees detention center operations, has total contract obligations estimated between $991 million — as first reported by the Miami Herald — and approximately $1.01 billion, based on the Florida Phoenix’s own calculations.
The $603 million still owed to contractors is nearly equal to the $608 million federal grant promised to Florida for operating the facilities known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades and “Deportation Depot” in Baker County.
Costs Not Fully Captured
The contract figures do not include a range of additional immigration-related expenses. Costs such as supplies, travel, and food ran approximately $25 million through February alone, according to the Florida Phoenix.
Contracts paid out of the state’s emergency response fund that do not explicitly reference immigration activities add roughly another $20 million to Florida’s total spending footprint, the review found.
Scope of Spending Larger Than Previously Reported
The newly reviewed contracts provide what the Florida Phoenix described as the clearest picture yet of the full cost of Florida’s immigration operations. Prior spending estimates, including a figure reported in February 2026 showing the state’s emergency agency had run up a $405 million immigration tab in six months, represented only a fraction of the state’s total financial commitments, according to the outlet’s reporting.
The Florida Phoenix’s review of the contracts was published on June 17, 2026.
