Florida Democrats made a huge mistake when they tried to force their way into Alligator Alcatraz.
They thought they had the law on their side.
And a Florida judge just delivered one brutal message that left Democrats fuming.
Democrats Got Denied Access and Threw a Tantrum
Five Florida Democrat lawmakers showed up unannounced at Alligator Alcatraz on July 3 demanding to inspect the facility.
State Senators Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith plus State Representatives Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon, and Michele Rayner got turned away at the gates.
They didn't take no for an answer.
The Democrats ran straight to the Florida Supreme Court demanding what's called a "writ of quo warranto" that would force Governor Ron DeSantis and state Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to let them waltz in whenever they felt like it.
These lawmakers claimed Florida law gives legislators access to correctional facilities "at their pleasure."
But the Supreme Court sent their case down to circuit court without weighing in on the merits.
Democrats thought the detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz would be their smoking gun to attack DeSantis on immigration enforcement.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2008646090464391254?s=20
They wanted unannounced access so they could look for any problems without giving the state time to clean things up.
Judge Drops the Hammer on Democrats' Lawsuit
Leon County Circuit Judge Jonathan Sjostrom sided with DeSantis in a five-page ruling that demolished the Democrats' legal argument.
The judge wrote that laws allowing legislators to access state prisons and county jails don't apply to Alligator Alcatraz.
"The (immigrant detention) facility does not meet the statutory definition of a state correctional institution because no prisoner is housed in the facility under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Corrections," Judge Sjostrom wrote.
The ruling continued that Alligator Alcatraz also doesn't qualify as a county or municipal detention facility since no county or city government operates it.
DeSantis administration attorneys had argued in their November response that the facility is "a short-term civil detention facility in which illegal aliens are held under the authority of the federal government and processed for deportation."
That makes it fundamentally different from prisons and jails that are part of the criminal justice system.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated the victory.
"Florida Democrats filed a sham lawsuit against us over Alligator Alcatraz, siding with dangerous, criminal aliens over Floridians," Uthmeier said in a statement.
"I'm proud of our attorneys for defeating another attempt by the left to stop deportations," Uthmeier added.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2008583430603501768?s=20
Democrats Tried to Usurp Legislative Authority
The DeSantis administration made another key argument that cut to the heart of the Democrats' overreach.
While the Florida Constitution gives the Legislature oversight authority and allows legislative committees to conduct investigations, individual lawmakers don't have those powers.
"Far from the governor or FDEM (the Division of Emergency Management) usurping the authority of another branch of government, it is petitioners who attempt to usurp the authority of the Legislature and its committees by taking matters into their own hands," the state's response argued.
The five Democrats weren't conducting official legislative business with proper authorization.
They were grandstanding for publicity while pretending they had legal authority they didn't possess.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2008554130982269264?s=20
Democrats got a controlled tour of the facility after their lawsuit failed, but complained it was too restrictive and left questions unanswered.
That's because they wanted free rein to dig for anything they could use to attack the facility in the media.
Florida Republicans cheered the court victory.
"Another victory for Alligator Alcatraz!" the Florida GOP posted.
The facility has been embroiled in multiple lawsuits since DeSantis opened it in the Everglades last summer as part of his partnership with President Trump's mass deportation efforts.
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe filed suit over environmental concerns.
A federal judge initially ordered the facility to wind down operations before an appeals court stayed that ruling.
Detainees filed another lawsuit claiming they don't have adequate access to attorneys.
But the Democrats' attempt to gain unfettered access just got shut down permanently.
Sources:
- CBS News/News Service of Florida, "Judge rejects Democrats' lawsuit seeking access to Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention center," CBS News, January 5, 2026.
- Michelle Vecerina, "Judge tosses 'sham' lawsuit over Alligator Alcatraz; Uthmeier, GOP praise victory," Florida Voice News, January 6, 2026.
- James Tutten, "Florida judge rejects lawsuit filed over status of Alligator Alcatraz," WFTV.com, January 6, 2026.
