6 August 14-20, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | DEFINE ‘TEMPORARY’ Alligator Alcatraz job postings hint at long-term plans. BY ALEX DELUCA S ince Florida first an- nounced plans to build the immigration deten- tion center known as Al- ligator Alcatraz in the middle of the Everglades, state officials have repeatedly insisted it would be temporary. When Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier initially proposed the idea, he called the remote site an “efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter.” “We don’t need to build a lot of brick and mortar...it will be temporary, and thankfully Mother Nature does a lot on the perimeter,” he told conservative pundit Benny Johnson in an interview for his podcast, The Benny Show. During a press conference held just days after the facility officially opened, Gov. Ron DeSantis echoed that point. “What we’re doing is temporary,” DeSan- tis said. “We’re not going to make permanent sites on these locations.” But several signs now suggest the state- run detention site may be more than a short- term project. Among them: job postings that describe Alligator Alcatraz as a “long-term security operation.” Dynamic Integrated Security Inc., a Coral Springs-based private security firm, is cur- rently advertising two full-time jobs at Alligator Alcatraz for security and correctional officer positions, according to listings on Indeed. “Dynamic Integrated Security is seeking qualified Unarmed Security Officers to join our mission-driven team in support of a long- term security operation at a critical infra- structure site in Florida,” one of the listings reads. “Join a team committed to safety, pro- fessionalism, and operational excellence in one of Florida’s most unique locations.” The unarmed security guard position pays $25 an hour and requires a valid Florida “Class D” security officer license, according to the job listing. The correctional officer role, which re- quires a valid Florida Department of Law En- forcement (FDLE) certification, offers higher pay, starting at a “guaranteed” $10,000 a month. According to the job listings, employees will be provided with accommodations, in- cluding a single-bunk trailer with meals and laundry service. The company also says uni- forms, including shirts and hats, will be is- sued after the first few days on site. “Guards will receive full on-site orientation and access TBD,” the listings state. “Contract is at-will, but is expected to last up to 12 months, with possible 12-month option periods.” Founded in 2004 by a group of former members of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) as Beit Alfa Security, Dynamic Integrated Security has expanded its operations into the United States over the last decade. According to its website, the company provides a wide range of customized private security services “across communities, schools, businesses, HOAs, gov- ernment entities, and corporate clients.” The company specializes in “safe school officers,” or “armed personnel who aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises,” according to its website. Notably, the company was a “Platinum” sponsor of the Florida Department of Educa- tion’s first-ever “National Summit on School Safety” held in March of this year, seemingly donating at least $4,000 to the Florida Edu- cation Foundation, a nonprofit that sup- ports the state’s de- partment of education, accord- ing to public docu- ments. The company also holds a federal contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), allowing it to provide private security services to federal agencies across the country. The contract ap- pears to expire in March 2026. Dynamic Integrated Security did not re- spond to New Times’ request for comment. Although the Florida National Guard has deployed nearly 100 soldiers to assist at the 39-acre site in Ochopee, it remains unclear who else is providing day-to-day security. GardaWorld, an international security company whose U.S. headquarters are in Boca Raton, has been contracted to do work for Alligator Alcatraz, according to the Tampa Bay Times. But while the state hasn’t said exactly what work the company is doing, GardaWorld appears to have posted several armed security jobs for a facility in Ochopee (where the detention facility is located). A LinkedIn listing for an unarmed security guard position in Ochopee with GardaWorld offers $25 an hour and requires employees to live on-site, but includes housing, meals, and even flights, according to the post. “Employees may be exposed to extreme cold or hot weather conditions, fumes, or air- borne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and loud noise,” the listing reads. Another GardaWorld job listing on In- deed, titled “IMMEDIATE START! Correc- tional Officer (Unarmed)-Live on-site required Housing/Meals Provided,” de- scribes a similar $26 an hour security gig in the vaguely located “Southern Central, FL.” “This is a DEPLOYED role supporting a U.S. government contract at a migrant pro- cessing custodial facility. We are seeking per- sonnel available for immediate deployment,” the listing reads. “This is a full-time long term position (contract-based). Must be able to start ASAP! If you’re not a Florida local, we provide airfare to deployment site.” In response to a request for comment, GardaWorld referred New Times to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), the state agency running the facility. Since Alligator Alcatraz opened in early July, much about its operation has remained unclear. State officials have released little informa- tion about the detainees, and immigration at- torneys — who’ve had limited access to their clients at the facility — have called it a “black hole.” The state has quietly removed related contracts from public databases, and two fed- eral judges in Miami recently asked the De- Santis and Trump administrations to clarify one basic question: Who the hell is actually running this place? Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for FDEM, did not respond to New Times’ re- quest for comment about the job postings. [email protected] Several signs now suggest Alligator Alcatraz might be more than a short-term project. Photo by B. Scott McLendon | METRO | “CONTRACT IS AT-WILL, BUT IS EXPECTED TO LAST UP TO 12 MONTHS, WITH POSSIBLE 12-MONTH OPTION PERIODS.”
