Florida Official Says Democrats Misread Heat Levels at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Tour

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said a visiting group of Democratic lawmakers attempted to use an infrared thermometer on a facility light bulb during a 15 July inspection of the state-run “Alligator Alcatraz” detention site, in what he described as an effort to portray living conditions as excessively hot. Guthrie, who oversees emergency operations at the complex, told reporters after the tour that he intervened when he saw a lawmaker point the device at a bulb rather than at the ambient air, a method he said would significantly overstate room temperatures. The director added that subsequent temperature checks conducted properly registered within the state’s custodial standards. The Democratic delegation, led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, has not publicly addressed Guthrie’s account but has previously criticized the facility for using metal-cage housing and shared sink-toilet units. State officials maintain that the complex meets federal detention guidelines.