BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. – Bradford County commissioners are meeting Thursday night to decide whether to move forward with a plan to convert a county-owned warehouse into a temporary ICE detention facility capable of housing up to 3,000 detainees.
The proposal has been in the works for months, drawing repeated public opposition from community members who have shown up to speak out against the facility.
Sheriff Gordon Smith is expected to present a lease agreement during the meeting. Under the proposal, the Sheriff’s Office would take over the Douglas Building — a 100,000-square-foot warehouse owned by the county on U.S. 301 — for a 5-year term to be used as a “federal detention facility.”
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In a letter to commissioners, Smith said the project would require approval from both the Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection before any work begins.
“We owe it to the citizens of this county to ensure that this facility operates with the highest mechanical reliability and the lowest possible impact on our local infrastructure and quality of life,” Smith said in the letter.
The sheriff said his primary concerns are community safety, site security, and the integrity of local infrastructure.
Critics of the proposal are organizing ahead of the meeting, planning to rally outside and speak during the public comment portion of the meeting.
They cite environmental concerns and potential strain on local resources, arguing that a 3,000-person facility is a significant burden for a town of roughly 6,000 people.