Florida’s emergency managers initially projected that Doodie Calls, a Southeast Florida waste management company, would be paid more than $645 million in two years for operations at the “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” detention centers.
The estimates by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) were part of calculations made one day before Florida was approved for a $608.4 million federal grant under Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Detention Support Grant Program. Although a DEM spokesperson said costs have since been revised downward, she did not provide updated figures.
“We did cost projections and they were high, so we cut costs. This happened multiple times. Continuing to report on the original estimated costs is misleading,” communications director Stephanie Hartman told the Phoenix in a text message. “You have been doing this for weeks and I just have to ask how this is still considered newsworthy? At this point it feels like opposition journalism.”
Doodie Calls did not respond to a request for comment about how much their contract is worth now. Florida has already spent $92.7 million on Doodie Calls between September and January for immigration-related services, the state’s government accountability website shows.
These new figures were included in nearly 3,000 pages of emails and financial sheets released by DEM after a public records lawsuit. According to these documents, DEM projected on Sep. 29 that it would pay the company $480 million for Alligator Alcatraz, in the Everglades, and $165 million for Deportation Depot, in Baker County, through July 30, 2027. They expected the state to foot roughly 68% of the cost.
This was far-and-away the highest cost projection for any contractor hired by DEM for immigration enforcement. Doodie Calls is also the vendor that’s been paid the most for immigration-related activities, records show.
These revelations come amid differing versions from state and federal officials over whether the $608 million federal reimbursement has actually been secured. Although an agreement was made between the two months ago, the Trump administration still hasn’t completed an environmental review required by law — indefinitely tying uo the dollars at the federal level.
A 37-page vendor assignment manual outlined the company’s responsibilities, including managing waste to prevent environmental problems and overseeing wastewater operations. The company was additionally tasked with helping to build a staff village.
As of November, DEM reported to FEMA that the two facilities would cost $1.065 billion over two years, Hartman said. This was a roughly $645 million lower projection from September, when the agency estimated the combined costs at $1.71 billion.
DEM said this difference came from price negotiations with vendors, but didn’t specify which ones.
That $1.065 billion figure matched an October projection for the cost of only the Everglades facility over one year. State officials said the number is now being applied to both facilities for the two-year period, but didn’t share details of how and where those prices were cut.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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