Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday he wants the detention facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” to be at full capacity before moving forward with the plans to turn Camp Blanding into an immigration detention site.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Jacksonville on Friday to oppose plans for a new immigration detention facility at Camp Blanding, marking the latest pushback against Florida’s expanding detention infrastructure.

Florida State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) is calling for more transparency regarding the planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at Camp Blanding in Clay County.

The plan to build an immigration detention facility at Camp Blanding in Clay County is meeting with community pushback on the heels of the opening of Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades.

Construction is expected to begin soon on a new ICE detention center in Clay County. The site at Camp Blanding near the Clay County-Bradford County line is being developed to hold about 2,000 people awaiting immigration hearings or deportation, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

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.

Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that the ICE detention site planned at Camp Blanding will be able to house 2,000 detainees.

Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed using Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard’s headquarters in Clay County, as a potential site for a new immigration detention facility — an idea that has sparked mixed reactions among local residents.

After Gov. Ron DeSantis named Camp Blanding Joint Training Center an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, a few residents sounded off about the possible new addition.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in Clay County is among the locations being considered for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.

Stormy Sunday

A 38-year-old man and member of the Florida National Guard from Keystone Heights died Friday morning after he was hit by a car on Avenue B on Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard confirmed.

North Florida Land Trust has expanded the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor by acquiring 1,109 acres in Bradford County.

An alarming report from the U.S. government shows toxic chemicals from military bases and government compounds have contaminated drinking water in nearby communities across the country.

The re-launch of the Florida State Guard under Gov. Ron DeSantis is drawing criticism from some volunteers who say the training is more militaristic than they were led to believe.

A second woman has been arrested and accused of abusing her power as a cadre or supervisor to have a romantic relationship with a 16-year-old girl while working at Florida Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Blanding in Starke.

A Clay County woman was arrested accused of having a romantic relationship with a teen girl while working at Florida Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Blanding.

The National Weather Service on Friday issued a tornado warning for Bradford, Clay and Duval counties until 9:45 p.m.

At least one person died in a crash Saturday evening in Clay County near Camp Blanding, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A pilot on Thursday afternoon had to make a landing on State Road 16 near State Road 21, according to Clay County Fire Rescue.

A group of 25 Florida National Guard soldiers will make for the horn of Africa early Friday morning as part of the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade.

North Florida Land Trust has helped to preserve approximately 157 acres in Putnam County located in the Ocala to Osceola, or O2O, wildlife corridor.

Military bases statewide will receive a $3.4 million grant through multiple defense programs and local bases will receive roughly $1.9 million of that money.

What is just a small podn looks like a big lake after all the rain in Starke Tuesday morning. The storms parked over Bradford county Tuesday morning with several rounds of heavy rain around Starke and Camp Blanding. Flooding hotspots picked up 2.5-3.5 inches of rain. Pictures from the rain in Starke show flooded pastures and water swelling beyond a pond into the surroundings on County Road 229. Bands of rain focused along a warm front pushing through North Central Florida, focusing the heaviest rain west of the St. Johns River.

Ron DeSantis announced Friday the award of grants totaling $725,000 to projects intended to assist several military installations in the state. The Florida Defense Support Task Force awarded grants to the Clay County Development Authority, the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, and school districts in Duval, Hillsborough and Okaloosa counties. The largest grant, $500,000, will provide a buffer from "incompatible" land development in Clay County around Camp Blanding, where Florida National Guard troops are trained. A $100,000 grant goes to the Military Child Education Coalition, and is targeted to school districts in Duval, Hillsborough and Okaloosa counties. Florida has more than 93,000 children who are connected to the military, Jack Ballentyne, the coalition's senior vice president and chief operating officer, said in the release.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A red-cockaded woodpecker captured at Camp Blanding in Clay County is evidence that a project led by North Florida Land Trust to preserve land within the Ocala to Osceola (O2O) wildlife corridor is working. The unusual thing about this particular bird is where it came from, the Osceola National Forest 27 miles away. The creation of this wildlife corridor has been a group effort with now more than 18 conservation agencies and nonprofits participating, including groups like the National Forest Service, Florida National Guard and USDAs Natural Resource Conservation Service. These public-private partnerships can have an impact thats well beyond what the Federal government could accomplish on its own, says Russell Morgan, Florida NRCS state conservationist. North Florida Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that champions environmental protection in its primary, 11-county focus area of Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Union, Columbia and Volusia counties.