ORLANDO, Fla. — The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Resettlement could be one step closer to moving unaccompanied migrant children from the U.S.–Mexico border and housing them in Central Florida.

Here are five things to know about the potential detention facilities:  

1. Location in Question

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings told lawmakers in a letter that brokers who reported to be representing the U.S. General Services Administration contacted Orange County about prospects of leasing property at 1850 West Landstreet Road.

Currently a Travelodge motel sits on the property at that location. When Spectrum News contact the property owner, a manager of the motel said they were unaware of any deal and were not involved in any sale or lease.

Some have also pointed to Blossom Park Condos across the street, an abandoned property, although county leaders are adamant that is not the property the government inquired about.

Demings also said Monday there was interested in sites elsewhere in Central Florida including within Orlando and in Lake County.

A spokeswoman for the City of Orlando told Spectrum News, “The City of Orlando Planning Department has received several calls from different brokers who say they are representing GSA inquiring about zoning on a multitude of different properties.”

A Lake County spokesperson told Spectrum News, “As of July 30 there were no such inquiries, however, we are checking on this again and will get back with you.”

2. HHS in Need of Center

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services first announced in July that it was looking to lease sites in Central Florida, Los Angeles, or Virginia to create permanent detention facilities to house unaccompanied migrant children.

The facility would join a list of 170 similar facilities already in operation in 23 states across the U.S., the closest to Orlando being a child center in Homestead, near Miami.

At the time in July, HHS said it had 9,500 unaccompanied migrant children in their care, each in the system for an average 45 days.

HHS said it would spend 16 months finding and outfitting the location for their needs to be open by Spring 2020.

Orange County released preliminary information that shows HHS is looking for a site that would allow them to house up to 500 children, four to a room, as well as classroom, office, and indoor and outdoor recreational space.

According to HHS, is it expected an outside company would operate the center, employing up to 500 people total.

3. Not in the Zone

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the property at 1850 West Landstreet Road is not currently zoned to allow such a facility.

“This property is currently zoned C-1, commercial. Without an exception, this use is not permitted,” Mayor Demings told lawmakers in a letter.

Demings continued, “Assuming the use is not an exemption from the County’s zoning regulations, the proposed shelter would likely be classified as a Residential Care Facility, which would require a special use permit in the C-1 zoning district. This process involves a public hearing before the Board of Zoning Adjustment and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.”

Demings said Monday if this were the case, there would be a series of public hearings on the matter.

Process aside, Demings said he opposes the project’s location in Orange County because of its political and social divisiveness.

4. Center Needs Money

Even the prospect of such a center is getting plenty of pushback, especially from Democrat lawmakers who argue such a center operates with a lack of accountability and oversight.

“This has been a process shrouded in secrecy. We’ve been given rough approximations of where the facility will be, we have many levels of governments not informed, and that’s a lot of the problem,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Kissimmee).

Soto says a second way to block the project is by withholding funding of the center, which he estimates would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per day to operate.

The congressman is a member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the HHS.

5. Who Has Final Say

Democratic lawmakers are adamant there are statutes of authority that exist at the state and local levels, such as zoning.

“The State of Florida, like local government, has laws that the federal government has to comply with,” Soto said. “The Governor as well as local county commission have overwhelming power to oppose this.”

Those lawmakers including Democrat State Sen. Linda Stewart have called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to reject the project.

“I hear nothing about it because this is all done with U.S. Health and Human Services,” DeSantis said. “They pick sites just like if you have a business and want to lease or buy some place, then they operate the facility. The state does not get involved with that at all, so I do not have any more information than any of you do.”

Democrat lawmakers have rejected the Governor’s notion, saying he is aware of the pending leases.

“The Governor knows full well because in August, we sent him the letter we received. It’s not just ‘wow, I just found out.’ He knew about it because I communicated with him,” Stewart said.