Mauricio Maldonado is a digital editor for CBS Miami and has been a digital journalist in the South Florida area since 1997. Mauricio started at the Miami Herald in 1990 and transitioned over to their online team in 1997. In 2001, he moved north to lend his talents to SunSentinel.com, where he spent 17 years. Mauricio has been with CBS Miami since 2018.
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Five Democratic Florida lawmakers filed a lawsuit Thursday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), alleging they were unlawfully blocked from conducting an unannounced inspection of the Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention facility in the Everglades.
The petition, filed with the Florida Supreme Court, argues that DeSantis and FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie exceeded their legal authority when they denied legislators entry on July 3.
Under Florida law, lawmakers are entitled to inspect detention facilities without notice.
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Lawmakers cite urgent oversight concerns
The petitioners—State Senators Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith and State Representatives Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon and Michele Rayner—are seeking a writ of quo warranto, a legal challenge to test whether public officials are acting within their lawful authority.
In a joint statement, the lawmakers said the governor’s refusal to allow the unannounced visit “was a deliberate obstruction meant to hide what’s really happening behind those gates.”
They described the facility as “tantamount to a modern-day concentration camp,” citing serious safety concerns, flooding and its remote location in the Everglades.
“This is not only about transparency; it’s about whether the governor can unilaterally block oversight from a co-equal branch of government,” the lawmakers said.
DeSantis’ office dismisses lawsuit as “dumb”
In a statement, Governor DeSantis’ Deputy Press Secretary Sierra Dean dismissed the lawsuit, calling it “frivolous” and saying the state “looks forward to quickly dispensing with this dumb lawsuit.”
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Dean added that all Florida legislators had been invited to a scheduled tour of the facility this weekend.
The lawmakers say they plan to attend the FDEM’s prearranged 90-minute tour on Saturday but insist it does not meet the legal standard for independent legislative oversight.
“The law is unambiguous: We have the right to inspect detention facilities at any time, without prior notice,” the petitioners said in a statement.
“Oversight cannot be choreographed. This tour is not about transparency; it’s about containment.”
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Mauricio Maldonado
Mauricio Maldonado is a digital editor for CBS Miami and has been a digital journalist in the South Florida area since 1997. Mauricio started at the Miami Herald in 1990 and transitioned over to their online team in 1997. In 2001, he moved north to lend his talents to SunSentinel.com, where he spent 17 years. Mauricio has been with CBS Miami since 2018.
As tensions escalate overseas, locals in South Florida express a complex mix of concern, hope, and fear—especially for loved ones in Israel and Iran. Community leaders and families share their perspectives on uncertainty, security, and what the future holds.
This Week in South Florida Full Episode: March 1, 2026
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — On the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida” host Janine Stanwood welcomes President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Broward County Audra Berg, Secretary General of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, Division Director of Flood Control and Water Supply Planning for the South Florida Water Management District Carolina Maran, State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras and State Rep. Kevin Chambliss.
The full episode can be seen at the top of this page.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
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Janine Stanwood
Janine Stanwood is a Emmy award-winning reporter and anchor. She joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor.
