Overview

• Construction crews continue converting the abandoned Dade-Collier airstrip into a tented detention center set to open with 500 to 1,000 beds next week and expand to 5,000 by early July.
• Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit in U.S. District Court Friday, arguing the project bypassed required environmental reviews on a site that is more than 96% wetlands and home to endangered species.
• The facility is being funded largely through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, with Florida fronting costs before seeking reimbursement from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.
• Gov. Ron DeSantis invoked emergency powers to seize the Miami-Dade–owned site and accelerate construction, while dismissing warnings of ecological harm.
• Opponents now include local Native American tribes and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and Florida officials are also scoping out a second detention center at Camp Blanding.