Three Contractors Helping Build 'Alligator Alcatraz' Reportedly Donated To DeSantis And Florida Republicans

Three contractors helping build the migrant detention center in Florida known as "Alligator Alcatraz" have reportedly donated money to the Republican Party in the state and to Governor Ron DeSantis.

One of them, CDR Maguire and affiliated company CDR Health have donated almost $2 million to two PACs supporting DeSantis' bids for governor and the Republican Party of Florida, the Miami Herald detailed, citing Florida campaign finance records.

The company's married CEOs, Carlos Duart and Tina Vidal-Duart, are close allies of DeSantis, the outlet added. Tina serves on the board of the Hope Florida Foundation, the embattled charity led by state First Lady Casey DeSantis that is at the center of an investigation over the misuse of $10 million from a Medicaid settlement in 2024.

Another contractor named by the outlet is GardaWorld, which will provide correctional officers to staff the compound. The company has also been picked to fly migrants out of Florida, the Herald added.

Finally, Matt Michelsen, the founder Gothams LLC, a "disaster logistics response," gave $25,000 to the Republican Party of Florida in 2021 and the same amount to a DeSantis PAC in 2022. The company will provide technology services to Alligator Alcatraz.

The center's first detainees arrived late Wednesday. State and federal officials have lauded the facility, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier saying it represents "an efficient, low cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter.

President Donald Trump announced this week that he has approved DeSantis' proposal to deputize National Guard Judge Advocate General Corps officers to serve as immigration judges at the facility.

DeSantis said the initiative is intended to reduce the immigration court backlog and expedite deportations, as The Miami Herald reported. "We're cutting through bureaucracy," he said, citing the ability to conduct proceedings and deportations from a single site.

Florida's plan identifies nine National Guard JAG officers who could undergo six weeks of training to qualify as immigration judges, a role that, unlike Article III federal judges, falls under the Department of Justice. A spokesperson for the National Guard told the Herald that it has not yet received formal word to begin training the judge advocates but was "standing by to provide support to this mission as needed and directed by Governor DeSantis."

During the same visit, Trump and DeSantis also discussed plans for a second facility near Jacksonville, as the Tallahasee Democrat reports. Homeland Security officials said construction there could begin shortly after July 4.