Kennedy, who works with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, says the signs went up Monday afternoon at 836 Dolphin Expressway and at the intersection of Interstate 95 and NW 135th Street. The billboards call on Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and county commissioners to sue the state to close Alligator Alcatraz, he says.
The Immigration Coalition argues the site must close because it lacks oversight, poses a threat to immigrant lives if a hurricane rolls through the tent city, and is a tremendous financial risk to the county, Kennedy tells New Times.
Florida Immigrant Coalition paid for a pair of billboards demanding Miami-Dade file a lawsuit to shut down Alligator Alcatraz.
Thomas Kennedy
Kevin Guthrie, the executive director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, called OutFront to ask the company to take down the billboards, "using the power of the state to censor and say the sign was a lie," he tells New Times. "He did the same thing to take down abortion ads," Kennedy told New Times.
Kennedy showed New Times texts that appear to verify his claim that an OutFront representative said Guthrie called and pressured them to take the signs down.Yesterday we put up billboards in Miami-Dade urging the county mayor and commissioners to file a lawsuit to stop the Everglades detention camp. Kevin Guthrie, of the Florida Division of Emergency management, called the company and tried to intimidate them into taking them down.
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) July 9, 2025
When reached by phone, the same OutFront representative said he was going into a meeting and has not called back to comment.
Guthrie's office didn't respond to a request for comment.
"After some back and forth with our legal teams, they put the signs back up this morning," Kennedy tells New Times.Federal immigration actions prioritize fear and enforcement over compassion and justice. These policies are not only ineffective in managing our immigration challenges but also inhumane, undermining the values that define our nation. pic.twitter.com/7f5niTifC3
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) July 9, 2025
While Levine Cava hasn't responded directly to the coalition, she issued a statement Tuesday night via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that seems to address the issue.
"Our community is home to many people from all over the world, many who fled violence and oppression in search of the American Dream. They are our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. But right now, federal immigration actions prioritize fear and enforcement over compassion and justice," Levine Cava said in a video accompanying her tweet.
"We should focus efforts on securing our borders and deporting dangerous criminals," she said, "not removing protections for people who are following the law and contributing to our economy."
