A group of Democratic lawmakers is asking the Florida Supreme Court to intervene after they were blocked from entering a new state-run migrant detention center, alleging Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration violated state law and overstepped constitutional boundaries.
In a petition filed Thursday, state Reps. Anna Eskamani, Angela Nixon, and Michele Rayner, along with Sens. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Shevrin Jones, accuse the governor and Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie of unlawfully denying them access to the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” constructed last month at the remote Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Everglades.
The petitioners are seeking a writ of quo warranto and argue that their exclusion from the site violates clear statutory rights granted to legislators under Florida law, which allows them to conduct unannounced inspections of detention and correctional facilities.
“The rule of law must be upheld,” wrote the lawmakers. ” Our Constitution does not coronate a king. It is not hyperbolic to contend that the Governor’s actions, directly or indirectly though the action of agency directors and their employees, could become more far reaching into the third branch of our government.”
The site has also drawn national attention over flooding concerns, environmental lawsuits, and its proximity to protected lands in the Everglades. Lawmakers said they attempted an unannounced visit on July 3 after reports emerged that heavy rains had compromised parts of the facility. Upon arrival, they were turned away by state agents who cited safety concerns but provided no legal explanation for denying entry.