Fact Sheet

Learn the facts and statistics behind the proposed detention center. From the hundreds of new jobs to the safe and secure location, get the truth on what this project will mean to the community.

Hundreds of Jobs and Over a Million Dollars in Annual Tax Revenue

  • Will generate significant new tax revenues — likely over $1.5 million dollars annually based on current projected construction costs; Southwest Ranches will receive 20% of these revenues, which will support major community investment projects.
  • Southwest Ranches will also generate income in the form of a revenue share based on the final value and population capacity of the Processing Center; this share is expected to be in excess of $450,000 annually.
  • Will create over 250 well paying, full-time positions when completed.
  • Construction will produce hundreds of jobs through the building of a facility with a value currently estimated at $70 million.

A Safe and Secure Processing Center for Detainees Awaiting Civil Proceedings

  • While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to evaluate the exact capacity that will be needed, the current estimated bed number is approximately 1,500 detainees.
  • Detainees will be held while awaiting civil — not criminal — deportation proceedings.
  • The Processing Center will incorporate state-of-the-art security features and safety measures, as well as construction and design practices to minimize visual and sound impacts on the community.
  • Proven transportation security processes will be utilized when moving detainees out of the community for release or deportation.

The Right Location with Minimal Community Impact

  • The Center will be built next to an existing state prison for women, a county landfill and an industrial park, less than a mile from U.S. Highway 27.
  • The location is well separated from neighborhoods at the extreme west boundary of Southwest Ranches.
  • Independent studies have shown no correlation between property values and proximity to a detention or corrections facility.
  • Traffic impacts are not expected as local streets will not be used to service the Processing Center.
  • Facilities of this nature are held accountable by contracting government agencies to impose no impact on public sanitation, health or emergency response capability.

Proposal Accepted After Years of Careful and Open Review

  • The site was originally acquired by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) for this use in 1997.
  • Southwest Ranches’ original comprehensive plan and zoning code has designated this site for industrial uses, including prisons/detention facilities since incorporation in 2000.
  • The site plan for the facility was approved by Southwest Ranches in 2005 following a series of public hearings.
  • Broward County zoned and planned the property for heavy industrial uses, including prisons, in the 1970s and approved a plat note amendment for the CCA facility in 2005.
  • CCA’s parcel in Southwest Ranches has been on a public meeting agenda no fewer than 29 times.