Florida appears to have spent at least $245 million in state tax money to build and operate Alligator Alcatraz in its first couple of months, with some reports putting the total planned spend much higher, including a projection of $1.4 billion or more over time. On recovery, the clearest public reporting says the state was still awaiting federal reimbursement and that DeSantis was not counting on the federal government to pay it back.

What was spent

Public reporting in early 2026 said Florida had already signed contracts worth about $245 million for construction and operations, and another report said the state was spending more than $1.2 million per day on the facility. Other coverage said Florida’s emergency management agency had sought about $1.4 billion from the federal government for the project.

Was anything recovered

The available reporting does not show confirmed reimbursement to Florida at the time of those stories. One account said the federal government had not paid the state back yet, while another said DeSantis was unconcerned about whether Washington would “finally pay up,” which suggests repayment was still unresolved.

Plain-English read

So the short version is: Florida taxpayers were on the hook for hundreds of millions, possibly much more, and there was no clear sign of money recovered yet. If you want the tightest single-number answer, $245 million is the most concrete figure in the reporting I found, but the broader projected exposure was far larger.

TL;DR: At least $245 million spent; reimbursement was not clearly recovered in the reporting available.