At the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida is quickly constructing a $450 million-a-year immigration detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."

TALLAHASSEE — Nearly three years ago, when Hurricane Ian destroyed a bridge in southwest Florida and left residents on a barrier island with scant access to drinking water and food, Gov. Ron DeSantis leveraged his emergency authority to scramble contractors to reconstruct the bridge. It took less than three days.

Several hundred demonstrators protested plans for an immigration detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," that is being constructed on an abandoned airstrip in Florida's Everglades.