Mike Schneider, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Trucks come and go from the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Collier County, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Florida officials didn’t disclose funding request for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ facility, lawsuit says

October 14, 2025

Florida officials have been accused of failing to disclose their application for federal reimbursement for an immigration detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” A public records lawsuit filed Monday by Friends of the Everglades says this led to a false impression before an appellate court panel, which put on hold a judge’s order to wind down operations at the facility. Florida applied for federal funding in August but didn’t inform either a federal district court or an appellate court panel. Federal officials confirmed that a $608 million reimbursement had been approved for the center earlier this month.

FILE - President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

DOJ contradicts DeSantis: Some detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ likely never in removal proceedings

October 6, 2025

U.S. government lawyers say detainees at the Florida Everglades immigration detention center, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” likely include people who have never been in removal proceedings. This contradicts Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s claims since the facility opened in July. The U.S. Department of Justice made this admission Thursday in a court filing. They argue that detainees don’t have enough in common to be certified as a class in a lawsuit over access to attorneys. Civil rights groups allege detainees have been denied proper access to legal counsel, violating their constitutional rights. DeSantis’s office hasn’t responded to requests for comment.

FILE - Guests ride on the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe Theme Park at Universal Resort Orlando, April 10, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)

Woman sues Universal Orlando over injuries from same roller coaster in which man died after ride

September 25, 2025

A woman has sued Universal Orlando Resort, claiming she was injured on a roller coaster at its newest theme park. Sandi Streets filed the negligence lawsuit Wednesday in Orlando, a week after a man died from injuries on the same ride. Streets says she was invited to Universal’s Epic Universe theme park before it officially opened in May. She claims the dual-launch coaster caused her head to shake violently, resulting in permanent injuries. The lawsuit states she has suffered disability and medical expenses. Universal has not responded to request for comment.

A police officer urges Art Sennholtz, 80, center, and Christy Howard, 70, of Just Us Volusia to be careful of fast-moving traffic as they hold protest signs outside the entrance to an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz," Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Collier County, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

DeSantis’ step toward victory on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ sets up a funding dilemma for Florida

September 9, 2025

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing a dilemma over the immigration detention center built in the Florida Everglades. Last week his administration won an interim victory when an appellate court panel halted a lower court’s order to shut down the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” Now Florida may be forced to choose between forgoing federal reimbursement for the detention center or accepting the money and facing an environmental review that would risk shutting down the facility. The judges ruled 2-to-1 that federal law requiring such a review doesn’t apply at this point because Florida has yet to receive federal funding for the project.

FACT FOCUS: DeSantis’ misleading claims about why Florida missed out on a congressional seat

September 3, 2025

Gov. Ron DeSantis claims the 2020 census numbers for Florida need fixing to grant the state another congressional seat. He blames the U.S. Census Bureau for shortchanging Florida, which gained only one additional seat for a total of 28 in the House of Representatives. DeSantis argues that an undercount of almost 3.5% missed around 761,000 residents. However, experts say the overcount and undercount numbers can’t change congressional seat allocation. The U.S. Constitution requires an actual count for apportionment. Experts say Florida may have itself to blame for the undercount, since it provided fewer resources for census participation than other states.

First hearing held on detainees’ legal rights at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ after judge orders wind down

September 3, 2025

Attorneys are fighting for the legal rights of detainees at an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades. They were meeting with state and federal government defendants in court on Thursday. This is the first meeting since a federal judge in a separate environmental lawsuit ordered operations at the facility, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” to wind down. The legal rights lawsuit claims detainees have been denied the right to meet privately with their attorneys. The facility, built in the Everglades, was intended to aid deportation efforts. The state and federal governments have appealed the judge’s ruling and asked that it be put on hold.

Rana Mourer waves an American flag outside of the migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Saturday, July 12, 2025 in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Alexandra Rodriguez)

Florida updated agreement on handling detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ but a month after it opened

August 8, 2025

Florida’s corrections agency and ICE updated an agreement on handling federal immigration detainees, but they did it more than a month after ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ opened. This update was made public Thursday in court documents. The facility built in the Florida Everglades has faced criticism for allegedly restricting detainees’ access to attorneys and immigration courts. A civil rights lawsuit has been filed, and a federal judge has ordered officials to clarify who has legal authority over detainees. Another judge in a separate lawsuit temporarily halted construction on Thursday while she considers whether it violates environmental laws. Florida claims detainees have had access to legal counsel.

A protester stands outside the migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Facility, Saturday, July 12, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Alexandra Rodriguez)

Judge orders Florida, federal officials to produce ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ agreements

August 4, 2025

A federal judge has ordered officials to produce agreements showing who has legal authority at “Alligator Alcatraz,” an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades. The order, issued Monday, is part of a civil rights lawsuit claiming detainees’ rights are being violated. Officials must provide documents by Thursday. The facility was hastily constructed over a month ago. The lawsuit says detainees are being held without charges and are barred from meeting attorneys. Environmental groups have also sued over the facility, arguing the project didn’t follow environmental laws. The Archdiocese of Miami celebrated the first Mass at the center on Saturday.

FILE - Brian Littrell, of the Backstreet Boys, attends a meeting with fans for the presentation of the album 'In A World Like This' at 40 Cafe in Madrid, Spain, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin, file)

Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell sues Florida sheriff’s office over beach trespassers

July 16, 2025

Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell says a local Florida sheriff’s office isn’t doing enough to protect his multimillion dollar beachfront property from trespassers and is asking a judge for an order commanding deputies to do so. The petition filed last month by Littrell’s company in a Florida Panhandle county touches on a perennial tug-of-war between usually-wealthy oceanfront property owners and beach-loving members of the public, especially in Florida, which has 825 miles of sandy beaches. A spokeswoman for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the office doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Pulse nightclub: A haunting look inside before the mass shooting site is razed

June 16, 2025

Nine years after a gunman opened fire in an LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in Florida, bullet holes can be seen in walls. And glittering disco balls and lit up bulbs on dressing room mirrors make it seem frozen in time. The Associated Press and other media outlets were allowed Monday to see the inside of the Pulse nightclub for the first time since gunman Omar Mateen opened fire there during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people. The viewing came days after survivors and family members of the dead were allowed to walk through the nightclub before it’s demolished this year to make way for a permanent memorial.

Christine Leinonen, whose son, Christopher "Drew" Leinonen was killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre in 2016, talks to reporters after walking through the venue as part of a group of survivors and family members of those killed, on Wednesday June 11, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/Mike Schneider)

Pulse massacre survivors revisit the nightclub before it’s razed for a permanent memorial

June 11, 2025

Survivors and family members of the Pulse nightclub massacre nine years ago are getting a chance to walk through the long-shuttered, gay-friendly venue this week. The central Florida club will be razed this week and replaced with a permanent memorial. In small groups over four days, the massacre survivors and family members of those who were killed can spend half an hour inside the space where Omar Mateen opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016. The shooting left 49 dead and 53 wounded. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen was killed after a three-hour standoff with police.

Florida agency tells newspaper to halt reporting angle on foundation associated with governor’s wife

June 9, 2025

Florida’s child welfare agency has sent a letter to a newspaper telling it to “cease and desist” its reporting on foster families for a story about a nonprofit associated with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife. The foundation is the subject of an investigation. The Orlando Sentinel received the letter on Friday from the Department of Children and Families. The letter claims the newspaper’s Tallahassee reporter intimidated foster families who had received money from the Hope Florida Foundation when he contacted them for interviews. The welfare program is the signature initiative of Casey DeSantis, Florida’s first lady. Orlando Sentinel Executive Editor Roger Simmons says the agency’s characterization is “completely false.”

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, photo, the remains of damaged and overturned trailers sit at the Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina, in Big Pine Key, Fla. Monroe County is asking mobile home park owners to allow FEMA to set up temporary housing on their properties. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

What keeps the safety director of the most vulnerable spot in US up at night before hurricane season

May 23, 2025

No place is more vulnerable to hurricanes in the 50 U.S. states than the Florida Keys. The chain of islands celebrated by singer Jimmy Buffett in his odes to tropical escapism is surrounded by water. The Gulf and Atlantic Ocean are on either side of the islands that jut out 120 miles southwesterly from Florida’s mainland. Making sure that members of the Conch Republic stay safe during hurricane season is Shannon Weiner. She is the director of emergency management for Monroe County, Florida. Hurricane season starts June 1. The county has some new weapons this season, including a brand-new emergency operations center and a new seawater desalination water treatment plant.

Mike Schneider.