Republican donors and Florida's hurricane know-how helped build 'Alligator Alcatraz' so quickly
It's been less than two weeks since the state seized the property from Miami-Dade County. Massive tents have been erected and a steady stream of trucks carrying portable toilets, asphalt and construction materials have been driving through the site inside the Big Cypress National Preserve around the clock in what environmentalists fear will have a devastating impact on the wildlife in the protected wetlands.
'We are dealing with a storm,' said Jae Williams, spokesman for Republican Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who is credited as the architect behind the proposal. 'And the storm's name is immigration.'
The first detainees arrived Thursday at the facility, which will cost $450 million to operate and consists of tents and trailers surrounded by razor wire on swampland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami.
Republicans named it after what was once one of the most notorious prisons in the U.S. and have billed it as a temporary lockup that is essential to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
Opponents decry it as a political stunt and fear it could become permanent.
'The proposal was rolled out without any public input in one of the most ecologically sensitive regions of Florida, and arguably the United States,' said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, which is among environmental groups that have sued to stop the project.
Some GOP donors whose companies helped build and will assist in running the facility are being given seven-figure sums. Five Democratic state lawmakers who visited the site Thursday issued a statement calling it 'a pay-for-play scheme to enrich GOP donors under the pretense of border enforcement.'
Florida built 'Alligator Alcatraz' using expertise from its response to hurricanes
Hot, humid summers; regular flooding; and wildlife that includes alligators and venomous snakes make the area where the detention center is located inhospitable to long-term living.
For the state emergency management staff leading the project, it wasn't unlike responding to another hurricane, just with more chain-link fencing, and barbed wire stretching more than 28,000 feet, according to state officials.
Florida's leaders pride themselves on the state's disaster response capabilities, an expertise sharpened by tropical storms that sweep ashore year after year. Florida had a system and a command structure, as well as a fleet of vendors ready to help set up portable generators, floodlights, temporary kitchens and bathrooms, officials said.
'We understand how to act fast without bureaucracy in the face of any emergency,' said Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida's emergency management division, sitting alongside DeSantis and Trump in one of the temporary shelters during an unveiling event at the facility. 'We're able to translate this knowledge to what we did here," Guthrie added.
Human rights advocates say this is not a storm, but people — people who could be left indefinitely in inhumane conditions.
Uthmeier said the location had the advantages of an existing site and a 10,500-foot (3,200 meters) runway, with the Everglades serving as a natural security perimeter. For DeSantis, the location in the rugged and remote Everglades was meant as a deterrent from escape, much like the California island fortress Republicans named it after.
It's also another sign of how the Trump administration and its allies are relying on scare tactics to persuade people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.
GOP donors will get paid for 'Alligator Alcatraz' work
Vendors chosen for the project include Lemoine CDR Logistics and CDR Health Care, companies led by Carlos Duart, a major Republican donor who along with his businesses have given millions of dollars to political committees for DeSantis, Trump and other GOP candidates, according to federal records. CDR Companies has been a go-to vendor for the state for years, and it provides engineering, emergency management and health care services across the country.
Duart confirmed his companies' involvement to The Associated Press but declined to specify the services they're providing, citing a nondisclosure agreement. Asked if his businesses were picked because of his political support, he said, 'we get chosen because we do exceptional work.'
A database of state contracts also showed that Granny's Alliance Holdings Inc. signed a $3.3 million contract to provide meals at the facility. IRG Global Emergency Management had inked a $1.1 million deal to provide 'flight and operational support" services. Some of the company's vehicles were seen at the facility, according to images shared with the AP.
In a sign of its importance to the Trump administration's immigration agenda, the president toured the facility Tuesday. The White House posted on its social media account a graphic of the president standing besides alligators sporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement ball caps under text of 'Alligator Alcatraz: Make America Safe Again.'
The Everglades ecosystem is fragile
In recent decades, $3.9 billion in federal and state funds have been allocated to restore grasslands in the Everglades. The ecosystem was degraded and transformed when a highway connecting Tampa and Miami was built in 1928.
In response to the environmental groups' lawsuit over the detention center, the federal government said in court papers that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security hadn't authorized or funded the facility, which the state built and will operate.
However, Florida plans to seek payment from the federal government.
DeSantis has described it as temporary, with no plans for sewers, and claims there will be 'zero impact' on the Everglades. His administration reiterated that stance in court papers responding to the lawsuit.
But opponents still fear it will become permanent.
'If it becomes more permanent, that is a bigger concern since that permanently evicts these species from the site so they can never come back,' said Elise Bennett, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which also joined the lawsuit trying to stop the construction. 'Our concerns are great now and will only become greater as this project proceeds.'
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
20 minutes ago
- Politico
Why Jeffries' redistricting idea is so unlikely in NJ
Good Wednesday morning! Last week, CNN reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was looking to several Democratic states, including New Jersey, for potential mid-decade redistricting to counter the move to redraw the map in Texas to further favor Republicans. But by the time the report surfaced, it was probably already too late in New Jersey. This would have been difficult no matter what. New Jersey's Constitution mandates that congressional redistricting takes place after the Census conducted at the beginning of each decade. To change that, you'd have to change the Constitution. To guarantee a favorable map for Democrats, you'd also have to change the constitutionally assigned system from a redistricting commission with equal party representation and a tiebreaker to one that favors Democrats. It is, of course, possible to change the state Constitution. Democrats have slightly more than the three-fifths majorities they need in both houses to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot this November. But even if they were to get all their members on board with the plan — far from a given — I still doubt they'd be able to pull it off. The state Constitution requires constitutional amendments be published in newspapers in each county 'not less than three months prior to submission to the people.' Notwithstanding the dearth of newspapers, that makes the deadline Aug. 4, according to the Division of Elections, which I trust more than myself to do the math. But even if Democratic leaders got virtually all their members to come back from vacation and support an amendment before Aug. 4, they still likely wouldn't be able to get it on the ballot in time to affect the 2026 midterms. The constitution requires lawmaker to wait at least 20 days following an amendment's introduction, then hold a public hearing, before they can vote on it. I'm no lawyer or constitutional scholar, so I called law professor Ronald Chen, who's also worked on congressional and state redistricting commissions. And he agreed there's no way to do it in time for the Nov. 4 general election. Chen noted one possible way to do it: If the Legislature passes a law to delay the general election. And Democrats did delay the primary a week so as not to conflict with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. But this would require an election delay of at least three weeks. And given that Democrats already have a friendly congressional map with very few options to gain more than the nine seats they hold, it seems like an extraordinarily unlikely gambit. But perhaps there's a way for Gov. Phil Murphy fire the First Assistant Constitution and replace it with an Acting Constitution. FEEDBACK? Reach me at mfriedman@ SHOW ME THE WAY: Acting Gov. Way has no public schedule QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'This is smart. As things stand, McGreevey is on track to be the next mayor. Unless the other candidates show some vision or courage, which they haven't, he'll keep gaining ground. The rest are stuck recycling tired lines: 'developers bad,' 'everyone's corrupt,' 'Jersey City is a mess.' with no vision beyond those talking points. Their cautiousness on every issue including MLK/Bergen and Baldwin/Summit speaks volumes about how they would lead' — outgoing Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop on candidate Jim McGreevey's transit plans. (Fulop last year expressed doubts about McGreevey's chances.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Kevin McCabe, Elissa Schragger, Christian Fuscarino, Felicia Hopson, Robert Basmadjian WHAT TRENTON MADE J-J-J JIM 'N DALE RESCUE CAMPAIGNERS — 'Do NJ lt. governor candidates matter? Do Gannon, Caldwell help their tickets?' by The Record's Charles Stile: 'Last week's rollout of lieutenant governor candidates demonstrated how the volatile debate — and concerns — over diversity shaped their selections.. Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli's selection of Jim Gannon, the popular Morris County sheriff, was widely seen as a tactical move to siphon away some suburban support from his rival, the Democratic nominee, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who has represented a large swath of Morris since her blue-wave election in 2018. Yet by choosing a White county sheriff and ex-Boonton cop, Ciattarelli is also rejecting the familiar expectation that the governor's lieutenant must be a diversity pick. … Every nominee since the first lieutenant governor campaign in 2009 has followed the diversity script … Yet Ciattarelli is ignoring precedent — despite candidly lamenting in a postmortem symposium that his 2021 campaign was 'too White.' … Sherrill, meanwhile, had little choice but to follow the Democratic Party's diversity playbook by choosing Dale Caldwell, a pillar of the party Democratic establishment and the first African American president of Centenary College in Hackettstown.' SCHOOL FUNDING — Coughlin proposal is latest to address school funding woes, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: With cuts in state education aid hitting some suburban school districts hard and driving up property taxes, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is seeking to alter New Jersey's school funding formula and give the Legislature more power over it. Coughlin and Assemblymember Sterley Stanley, a fellow Democrat from Middlesex County, last week introduced legislation, NJ A5966 (24R), that would make significant changes to how education aid is calculated, and require the Legislature to affirmatively approve of the governor's office's determination of per-pupil funding amounts. 'This bill attempts to provide both school districts and the public with more clarity, predictability and time as to how much School Aid their districts can expect for each succeeding school year,' Coughlin said in a statement. The bill comes as education aid, always a tense political issue, threatens to rile up voters ahead of the November election, when all 80 Assembly seats are up. And it follows efforts from the Murphy administration and Senate to address the recent controversies. CIATTARELLI FINDS A DISAGREEMENT WITH TRUMP — 'Ciattarelli opposes ICE plan to house detainees at N.J. base, but blames Dems for 'crisis',' by NJ Advance Media's Steve Strunsky: 'Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli opposes a plan to use part of a sprawling U.S. military base in Burlington County to temporarily house immigration detainees, though he blames Democrats for the situation, the candidate and his campaign said this week. Ciattarelli's campaign issued a statement by the GOP gubernatorial nominee and former state senator from Somerset County on Monday night accusing his opponent and other Democrats of creating a 'crisis' that forced immigration officials to obtain permission from the Pentagon to house detainees in tents at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. … On Tuesday, Ciattarelli campaign manager Eric Arpert clarified that his candidate opposes housing detainees at the joint base, while reiterating his assertion that Democrats were to blame for the situation.' KEVIN TOMAFSKY — 'Ex-Gov. Christie aide sentenced to prison for possession of child sex abuse material,' by NJ Advance Media's Victoria Gladstoine: 'A onetime aide to former Gov. Chris Christie pleaded guilty on Monday to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child after police found images of child sexual abuse material on his personal devices, authorities said. Kevin Tomafsky, 43, of Washington Township, was arrested in 2022. … Tomafsky accepted a plea deal that will require him to serve 10 years in prison. He will have to serve five years before being eligible for parole, authorities said. … Tomafsky worked in the governor's office from 2010 to 2012.' —'Homelessness up again in New Jersey, as federal cuts loom' —'ELEC awards first gubernatorial debate to N.J. Globe, On New Jersey And Rider University' —'Lawmakers rejected phone tax to fund NJ's 988 crisis hotline' —'New Jersey gun law challenged in lawsuit seeking to end the suppressor ban' —'Vineland gun shop loses court decision to NJ AG. What this means for Butch's Gun World' TRUMP ERA FROM BEDMINSTER TO BEDLAM — Trump fired court-appointed Habba replacement, records show, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard and Kyle Cheney: President Donald Trump moved to fire the career federal prosecutor New Jersey judges picked to be acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, according to court records filed Tuesday. The Department of Justice revealed Trump's decision in an email filed with a federal judge in Pennsylvania, who is preparing to weigh in on an escalating fight between the Trump administration and the federal bench in New Jersey. The filing underscores Trump's direct involvement in a bid to keep his former personal attorney, Alina Habba, as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, despite the expiration last week of her 120-day tenure as interim U.S. attorney and New Jersey judges selecting prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace to serve in Habba's place. … Trump's workaround is now creating uncertainty across the federal criminal justice system in New Jersey. A defense attorney, Thomas Mirigliano, is trying to get 2024 drug and gun charges against his client thrown out by arguing the Trump administration's maneuvering was irregular and unconstitutional. … In a 29-page response made Tuesday at noon, the Department of Justice said Habba is legally the acting U.S. attorney and walked through each step of the workaround that it says allows Habba to continue serving. But the department made lengthy arguments meant to keep criminal cases from unraveling in the event a judge decides that Habba's authority is dubious.' —'Has Trump's naming of Alina Habba created a crisis in the federal courts?' THIRD CIRCUIT — Senate confirms Emil Bove to Third Circuit, as Dems fail to thwart Trump pick, by POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs: Emil Bove, President Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney, has been confirmed to a lifetime seat on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals — the culmination of a tumultuous campaign from his detractors that ultimately fractured his support among the Senate GOP. The Senate voted 50-49 to confirm Bove, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska defecting from the rest of their party to join all Democrats in opposing. Bove was plagued by reports of whistleblowers alleging that he recommended the administration ignore court orders that would disrupt Trump's aggressive immigration agenda. His nomination became a flashpoint battle for Democrats, who argued the current principal associate deputy attorney general had made clear he valued fealty to the president over the law and was therefore unfit for the federal bench. 'Look at his record: Emil Bove has shown time and time again his disrespect for the very office he seeks to hold,' said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), pointing to the allegations, during a recent speech on the Senate floor. TIRED: MASTRO. WIRED: MASTO — 'Booker feuds with fellow Senate Dems in surprise dispute over police bill package,' by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: 'What might have been the fairly routine passage of several police-related bills on the Senate floor this afternoon turned into a surprisingly bitter intra-Democratic argument, with Senator Cory Booker sparring with two of his fellow Democratic senators over how willing their party should be to work with Republicans and President Donald Trump. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) took to the floor to ask for unanimous consent to pass seven bills related to policing and public safety, all of which have a bipartisan list of co-sponsors and one of which even lists Booker himself as a co-sponsor. But Booker objected to five of the bills, accusing the Trump administration of shifting police grant funding away from states like New Jersey in retaliation for their Democratic-leaning politics and their hesitance to cooperate with the president on immigration enforcement. 'Why would we do something today that's playing into the president's politics, and that's going to hurt the officers in states like mine?' Booker said. 'I believe in these bills – I'm a co-sponsor on some – and that's why I'm standing here to fight to ensure police departments in New Jersey aren't excluded from accessing these vital funds.' Booker asked to pass an amendment ensuring that grant money is equally allocated; Cortez Masto objected, calling it a 'poison pill' to the package.'' —Booker: 'There's a lot of us in this caucus that want to fucking fight. And what's bothering me right now is we don't see enough fight in this caucus.' — 'Thousands of legal immigrants in NJ could be thrown off Medicaid' —'N.J. Reps. want details from Hegseth, Noem about immigration detention center plans at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst' LOCAL EDISON — '3 N.J. cops were charged with stealing. Not one will serve a day in prison,' by NJ Advance Media's Riley Yates: 'The charges against the Edison police officers were meant to send a message. Cops accused of falsifying off-duty work to add tens of thousands of dollars to their pay checks would face serious consequences, Middlesex County prosecutors announced in 2018. Theft charges. Racketeering allegations. Years of scandal inside the township's long embattled police department would finally come to an end in the kind of corruption case that puts police behind bars. Then the charges languished for seven years. Until last week, when authorities cut a deal with their three final defendants, concluding a costly prosecution that began with fanfare and ended with none of the three former cops spending a day in prison. Two of the accused officers — Gregory Makras and James Panagoulakos — saw their charges dismissed on July 23 in exchange for their resignations from the police force, where they haven't worked since they were charged. Another former officer, Sgt. Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, pleaded guilty on the same day to a tax charge for failing to report income.' THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENTER AND POOL ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE — ''He is trying to divide us:' How a dispute over American flags turned this small N.J. town upside down,' by NJ Advance Media's Glenn Epps: 'More than a dozen residents in Belvidere say they have become the target of a local politician's hostility, causing them to become more concerned about their safety in their small town. During a public meeting on Monday night, several residents accused Councilman Christopher Allen, 24, of doxxing addresses. … The controversy began on July 19 when Allen posted images on Facebook showing front yards with campaign signs for council candidate Josh Johnson alongside American flags hung in a distress-signal style. In his post, Allen explained that he was highlighting disrespect to the national symbol. … Days after the social media post, Allen introduced a resolution requiring the United States flag be prominently displayed in all municipal building meeting rooms and mandating the pledge of allegiance as the first order of business for any public meeting performing governmental duties … Currently, the Belvidere Community Center and Pool Committee, where Allen serves as council liaison, do not regularly read the pledge of allegiance at meetings.' LIKE ERASING HISTORY WITH LIGHTNING — 'New Brunswick will rename Woodrow Wilson school to 'better reflect the community',' by MyCentralJersey's Cheryl Makin: 'The Board is Education is seeking nominations to help rename Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, named for the 28th president who is said to have had questionable ties to the Ku Klux Klan and racist leanings. On the heels of Princeton University, where Wilson served as its president for from 1902 to 1910, Monmouth University and the Camden School District which all have erased his name from buildings, New Brunswick Public Schools is seeking the same change 'that would better reflect the community.'' TOWN HALL EMPLOYEES GET SURPRISE INVITATION TO TURKISH BATH WITH PAULIE WALNUTS — 'Are there rats in Brick Town Hall?' by Jersey Shore Online's Bob Vosseller: 'Usually when someone says there are rats in town hall it is meant as an insult aimed at those serving in public office but recently that question has come up in a more literal sense. Mayor Lisa Crate and Business Administrator Joanne Bergin both told The Brick Times that despite commentary to the contrary by township employees, there is no rat infestation within Town Hall located at 401 Chambers Bridge Road. Bergin didn't rule out that a mouse might have found its way into the building that was built in the 1970s. Three employees who spoke anonymously with The Brick Times, saying they feared losing their jobs if they went public, made it clear that someone witnessed more than one rat in the building.' — 'Atlantic County homelessness surges 60% — officials cite 'housing affordability crisis'' —'Atlantic City Housing Authority votes to authorize response to HUD takeover' —'Glassboro-Camden Line closer than ever, but hurdles remain before construction can begin' —'Paterson police named in wrongful-death lawsuit by Najee Seabrooks' family seek dismissal' —'Camden police are now deploying social workers to city streets' —'DEP to unveil Liberty State Park Plan at open house next week' —'Essex prosecutor arrested for drunk driving still trying cases' —'Bayonne hospital workers & Jersey City nurses avoid strikes, ratify new contracts' —'Massive AI data center with major energy needs under construction in [Vineland]' EVERYTHING ELSE MILLZINNS — 'Rutgers set to make Keli Zinn its highest-paid athletic director ever,' by NJ Advance Media's Steve Politi and Brian Fonseca: 'The Rutgers Board of Governors is expected on Wednesday to approve a five-year contract for Keli Zinn that would make the longtime college administrator the highest-paid athletic director in school history, a person with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media. Zinn, who is currently the executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer at LSU, is set to make a base salary of $1.35 million that can rise if the athletic department hits any of the multiple incentives in the deal, the person said.' COUP D'WAH — 'Chief of Ramapough Lenape Nation in Mahwah unseated, arrested in tribal dispute,' by The Record's Marsha Stoltz: 'Dwaine Perry, principal chief of the 5,000-member Ramapough Lenape Nation since 2007, has been permanently removed from office by its Tribal Council and arrested for trespassing for trying to enter its Community Center on Stag Hill Road. The Tribal Council first announced Perry's 'temporary suspension' for alleged 'serious violations' in a May 27 statement. A hearing was reportedly held on June 1, and the Tribal Council announced on June 13 that it had 'voted unanimously to permanently remove, ban and disqualify former Chief Dwaine C. Perry from holding any current or future office.' Perry was arrested on July 22 for attempting to enter the tribe's Community Center, police reports show. … Perry, through his attorney Lydia Cotz, characterized the Tribal Council accusations as part of an attempted 'illegal coup.'' —''Jeopardy!' champ with 16-game streak addresses theory he deliberately lost final match' —'Meet the N.J. lifeguard who has been patrolling the Jersey Shore for decades' — 'Tolls could rise on Delaware River bridges connecting NJ and Pennsylvania'
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Major gun control PAC endorses US Rep. Robin Kelly's Senate bid
As the three leading contenders for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's seat look to separate themselves for Democratic voters, one of them, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, has secured an endorsement from a group representing an issue that has united the left for years: gun violence prevention. 'What we need are more lawmakers like her who are not only going to vote the right way, but contextualize this issue,' said Kris Brown, president of the gun violence prevention organization Brady, whose political action committee will announce its endorsement of Kelly on Wednesday. The endorsement comes as Kelly looks to position herself as the most experienced candidate for the Senate seat, having served in Congress since 2013 after voters elected her following a campaign that focused on gun violence. Her congressional career has been built in large part on her advocacy for gun control legislation. 'She connects the dots in a very material way because she's a subject matter expert,' Brown said of Kelly, who represents parts of the South Side and south suburbs. 'What we want are leaders who are capable of connecting all these dots and who will lobby their colleagues and bring others along.' The other top Democratic candidates for the Senate seat are U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, one of the most prolific fundraisers in Congress, and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who has Gov. JB Pritzker's backing. The Brady PAC is named after James Brady — who was President Ronald Reagan's press secretary and was permanently disabled after being shot during the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan — and his wife, Sarah. The PAC considers a candidate's experience with gun violence in making its primary endorsements, Brown said. The group chose Kelly over Stratton, who at a news conference touting new state gun control laws on Monday said she has 'been personally impacted by gun violence.' A spokesperson for the lieutenant governor later said Stratton and her daughters were outside a church one evening about 15 years ago when a shooter killed another member of the congregation nearby. Brown said her group looks at 'true lived experience' but also experience as 'a champion' of fighting gun violence, in the 'Robin Kelly kind of mold.' Kelly won her seat in 2013 after garnering the support of gun control advocates including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, amid the fallout from the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012 and a rash of violence in Chicago neighborhoods. A former congresswoman Kelly defeated in that race, Debbie Halverson, had an A-plus rating from the National Rifle Association, the Tribune reported at the time. After her first year in office, Kelly authored the so-called 'Kelly Report,' one of the earliest congressional documents that framed gun violence as a public health issue, according to the Brady organization. Kelly pushed to include support for community violence prevention in bipartisan public safety legislation in 2022, which both Brown and Kelly said was one of the congresswoman's top accomplishments. 'It's been something in my heart for a long time, but in Congress, I'm known as a leader, or the leader on gun violence prevention,' Kelly said in an interview, while also acknowledging the roles of several other legislators on the issue. 'This is what I ran on.' The Brady PAC plans to support Kelly financially as well as with help on voter turnout, Brown said. So far, Krishnamoorthi is far ahead of his opponents in terms of cash on hand ahead of the March primary, according to federal elections reports released this month. While Stratton trailed behind Kelly, according to those reports, the lieutenant governor could eventually receive more from organizations associated with Pritzker, the billionaire governor. Both Krishnamoorthi and Stratton have supported stricter gun control measures in their elected roles. Pritzker, with Stratton as his deputy since 2019, has signed a suite of gun violence prevention measures into law, including safer storage legislation and a sweeping ban on high-powered firearms and ammunition magazines that remains under legal challenge. Krishnamoorthi, a member of Congress since 2017, recently reintroduced legislation to establish a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases. Though gun violence persists in the city, Chicago has seen a double-digit percentage drop so far in 2025 compared with a year earlier. Statewide, monthly firearm injury rates are also down compared with the upswings during the pandemic, and this year have dipped below comparable months in 2018 and 2019, according to data published by the Illinois Department of Public Health. And nationally, homicides and gun assaults in cities also declined this year compared with recent years, according to a report released this month from the Council on Criminal Justice. Kelly said advocates see her at the forefront of gun violence prevention even as her opponents might share some of her views. 'I think my reputation around this precedes me,' she said, 'and I don't think they can say that.'
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
State lawmakers, officials seek input into how auto insurance rates are set
Just weeks after Gov. JB Pritzker called for action following State Farm's 27.2% rate hike for homeowners insurance, some state lawmakers and officials said they are renewing efforts to address the steady rise in auto insurance rates. Curbing the cost of auto insurance has been the subject of several legislative proposals in the last couple of years, but those measures have yet to go anywhere. The Illinois secretary of state's office, which has unsuccessfully promoted a measure that would eliminate factors such as credit scores and advanced age from being used as metrics to set car insurance rates, is set to launch a campaign to highlight why it thinks employing those factors is unfair to consumers. 'This, to me, is an economic justice issue. People are struggling to pay their bills. People are required to have car insurance, and it's becoming unaffordable for folks to have it,' Giannoulias said. 'So if the purpose of auto insurance is to protect the eight and a half million Illinois motorists, it only makes sense that their driving records … serve as the primary factor for setting their rates.' Car insurance rates have climbed across the country. According to the finance website the rates have increased at a slower pace compared to past years but from 2023 to 2024, full coverage auto insurance jumped by an average of 14% and by 12% from 2024 to 2025. The website, citing an official from the Insurance Information Institute, attributed the rising rates to some of the worst underwriting losses in decades. also suggested President Donald Trump's administration's tariffs on vehicles and auto parts could affect car insurance costs. Democratic state Rep. Will Guzzardi of Chicago, who has worked on legislation aimed at regulating car insurance rates, said he is optimistic there's enough will in the legislature to take on high costs of auto insurance, but acknowledged the need to do so without harming the insurers doing business in Illinois. 'We want to maintain a vibrant, competitive insurance market in Illinois, where companies are competing for your business, and that drives prices down,' Guzzardi said. 'Premiums are rising and Illinois consumers are bearing the brunt of it, and government needs to step in and protect us from those kinds of abuses.' A bill Guzzardi introduced in January would bar insurers from refusing to issue or renew a policy of auto insurance based in whole or in part on 'specified prohibited underwriting or rating factors.' The bill would require auto insurers to show that their handling of claims and algorithm models do not unfairly impact any group of customers based on factors including race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. The bill has been stalled in the House, and Guzzardi acknowledged the difficulty in getting such legislation passed given the insurance lobby's power in Illinois, which is home to both State Farm and Allstate. 'If it's a reasonable increase and (insurers) can justify it, then it's fine. But if they're just raising their rates to protect their profits and pad their CEO pay, then the state has the ability to veto or reduce those premium increases,' Guzzardi said. 'And it (seems) really unfair to base someone's car insurance premium on factors that are out of your control and have nothing to do with whether or not they're a good driver.' In a statement, the Illinois Insurance Association, along with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, said that 'Insurers are not permitted to use and do not use factors like race, income, religion, and/or ethnicity in setting rates. This is true in Illinois and in every state.' But the organizations defended the criteria that are used to set rates. 'Allowing insurers to continue using a wide set of objective criteria to determine risk and set rates will ensure this market can continue to flourish,' the statement read. 'We oppose efforts to limit the actuarial process that has driven companies out of other large states and led to increased premiums for the majority of policyholders.' Another bill that has languished in the legislature, which would affect homeowners as well as auto insurance, would require insurance companies to open their books so that state officials can assess whether the rate increases are too burdensome. Insurers would need to provide information on their rates to the state's Department of Insurance '60 days in advance of a proposed aggregate rate change of 5% or more.' This legislation has the backing of the Pritzker administration and could be the subject of debate during the two-week veto session in October since lawmakers and the insurance industry were busy during the spring session haggling over the bill's details. According to the secretary of state's office, Illinois is one of only two states, the other being Wyoming, that doesn't require a rate review process to protect auto insurance customers from excessive rates. The influence a person's economic status has on their insurance rates has long been a point of contention. Two years ago, the Consumer Federation of America issued a 25-page report showing the impact of car insurance rates when consumer credit information for good drivers who have decent or bad credit scores are factored in by insurers. The 2023 report showed that Illinoisans who were safe drivers with excellent credit paid an average annual premium of $424 for auto insurance, while consumers with a comparable driving record and fair credit paid around $607. At the same time, the report notes, safe drivers with poor credit paid an annual average of $915. These findings were echoed nationally, according to the report. 'These credit disparities are connected to systemic biases against Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities and long-standing structural hurdles to achieving financial stability for communities of color,' the report said. 'When credit information is used to construct credit-based insurance scores for underwriting and rating auto insurance, the result is higher auto insurance premiums for drivers of color.' 'Insurance companies use these rating factors, these non-rating factors, significantly, to set rates, and that can lead to both discriminatory and absurd outcomes,' said Abe Scarr, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, which posted the report on its website. 'Also, it's, I think, somewhat less pronounced and maybe less investigated as well, but they're doing this with homeowners insurance as well.' Under a bill pushed by Giannoulias' office during the spring legislative session, the secretary of state, in partnership with the Office of Risk Management and Insurance Research at the University of Illinois, would look into 'the use of ZIP codes, credit scores, and age in ratemaking and whether the specific factor results in inequitable rates being assessed to certain populations.' The bill had 16 Democratic House sponsors and 17 Democratic Senate sponsors. It passed through the Democratic-controlled House in April on a 70-39 vote. But it never made it through the Senate. State Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Republican from Sycamore who sits on the House Insurance Committee and opposed the bill, said Illinois has one of the lowest rate environments 'given the factors that we are currently using.' The competitive market helps consumers because if the rates are too high with one carrier, they can easily move to another. He said eliminating factors such as where a customer lives and their credit score could increase the rates for suburban drivers. 'So you'd have a rate in Chicago the same as a rate in the middle of a cornfield in Illinois,' said Keicher, a 30-year insurance agent who said he was not speaking on behalf of the industry. 'The industry has proven time and again that that credit-based score is effective and accurate, and there have been no other challenges once regulators have looked at the direct correlation in accident propensity with the factors that insurance companies are currently using,' Keicher said. Kevin Martin, executive director of the Illinois Insurance Association, said there have been a number of studies over the years purported to show credit scores are an appropriate metric, including one that concluded 'better credit scores correlate with lower insurance risk.' As for Giannoulias' bill from the spring, Martin's group had concerns over whether the secretary of state's office's involvement in the study would've led to a 'very, very biased result,' noting the office has come out 'very much opposed to allowing us to use these factors.' 'We have no objections to having a study,' Martin said. 'We were opposed to any reference and any language that would have put (the) secretary of state's office in a position to conduct, lead and write the report.' Lou Sandoval, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for businesses in the state, echoed Martin's criticism of the bill. 'We're not against transparency of trying to say, 'Hey, listen, what should we get done?'' he said. 'What was problematic is the bill sought to do a study that basically abided with the (confirmation) bias of the bill itself.' 'It was like, 'we're going to do a study to confirm the fact that there's racist policies in place, not to identify what the policies are and whether they're racist or not.' It's like 'we have a thesis. The thesis is, this is racism, and that's the direction we're going,'' Sandoval continued. 'And you know, writ large, we have a problem with government basically stepping in and whacking industries that are major employers in the state.' The statewide advocacy campaign being launched by the secretary of state's office, dubbed 'Driving Change,' will ask state residents 'to share their stories about unfair and discriminatory ratemaking practices employed by auto insurance companies,' according to a news release from Giannoulias' office. There will be town halls on the issue over the next several weeks throughout the state, and the secretary of state's office would be conducting a study using feedback from residents to determine whether factors such as credit score, ZIP code and advanced age unfairly raise insurance premiums for residents. From there, the feedback could be used to aid in crafting new legislation over what factors to include when setting car insurance rates, the secretary of state's office said. Locations and times of the town halls would be posted on 'To me, it doesn't matter whether you live on the South or West side of Chicago or in rural southern Illinois,' said Giannoulias, whose name has been floated as a potential Chicago mayoral contender in 2027. 'Our point is, base it on driving record.'
