CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – After the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center officially opened on Tuesday, attention has shifted to the planned facility at Camp Blanding in Clay County, which could begin construction as early as next week.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that Camp Blanding’s detention facility will be able to house 2,000 detainees, and Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said construction would start after Independence Day.
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For Camp Blanding to operate as a detention facility, some work needs to be done.
According to the state’s Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, four areas require improvement before Camp Blanding can be used as a detention center. These areas are: food service support, safety, specific building facilities, and contractual requirements.
Here’s a breakdown of each area of improvement, except for safety, as that section is redacted in the document.
- Food service support: The facility needs to be able to accommodate four meals a day, two of which must be served hot, for 1,000 individuals and support staff. In addition, for a workable facility that meets federal standards, each block needs to have a kitchen with a dining area. A schedule would be created on when each block is being fed, according to the document outlining the plan.
- Specific building facilities:
- Medical facility: The detention site would need a full medical facility to support up to 1,000 people with periodic health checks and food inspections. This area must also have a pharmacy. According to the plan, existing structures may be able to be used, but they need medical equipment and personnel to be deemed functional.
- Barber operations: Depending on how the site is separated for each of the required facilities and areas (such as separating women and men), a building needs to be in place to provide barber operations.
- Behavioral health facility: According to the plan, Camp Blanding’s current facilities do not have showers and bathrooms to support detainees with disabilities. Therefore, there needs to be construction or a provided facility that adheres to detainees with disabilities.
- Storage of personal property: A facility that can house and secure appropriate safes/storage for transfer of funds, valuables, and personal property may be provided, depending on how the footprint of buildings/facilities are split up. The plan says that if a building can be provided, personnel and equipment will be requested to be fully operational.
- Contractual requirements:
- Laundry: The site already has a facility that can be used for laundry. However, a linen contract would need to be placed for items. According to the plan, detainees are required one pillow, one blanket, one towel, two sheets and one pillowcase.
- Contraband detection: The plan states K-9s may be used for contraband detection, but not in the presence of detainees. The site would need a contract for support with local law enforcement for K-9 units.
- Garbage collection: A contract for garbage and refuse to include medical/biohazard waste will be needed to be fully operational.
The state has not disclosed how much the improvements at Camp Blanding will cost.
Because the National Guard falls under executive control, the state may be able to move forward without legislative approval, unless new funding is required.
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The “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in the Florida Everglades, which will hold around 3,000 detainees, has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, but state officials say at least some of that will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. However, officials have not yet commented on possible reimbursement for additional sites.
It is also unclear how long it will take for Camp Blanding’s detention facility to open. But “Alligator Alcatraz” was built in just eight days.
Guthrie said on Tuesday that his agency was closing on vendor approvals for the Camp Blanding immigration detention center. The deadline for vendor bids was set to end Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Camp Blanding, located near Starke, serves as the Florida National Guard training headquarters, according to DeSantis. The training center provides ranges, education facilities, simulation platforms, maintenance, and other services to Florida’s National Guard and numerous federal, state, and local customers spanning the Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) spectrum.