Folks, take it easy. There was no way to know it would end like this.

Who could have predicted that a stunt with all the subtlety of a juggling bear would fizzle out in less than a year? Don't dare imply that Alligator Alcatraz, Florida's most odious, costly and morally compromised photo booth, was designed to end the moment it outlived its political usefulness.

Have a heart, people. It must have been an unbelievable day when private contractors with pending invoices got word from state officials about a coming closure. It must have been a shock to realize that stashing undocumented immigrants in cages was not sustainable at an estimated $1 million per day, even factoring in cost-saving hellish conditions.

No one wanted this project to fail, OK? And our leaders still believe in it!

That is probably why they've sashayed around the topic of the camp's official status. Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was always meant to be temporary, that if the feds stop sending immigrants here, well, that's that. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on CBS said there was no official decision on a closure but went on to talk about "vulnerabilities."

"It's a soft-sided facility," he said. "Right now we have fires that are within 20 miles of it. We all know that Florida is pretty susceptible to hurricanes. So I could see where, you know, we might run into a place where we have to."

Exactly. Let's slow down and understand that everyone is doing the best they can.

Last July, all leading research said it was probably cool to hastily erect a series of pup tents on an abandoned airstrip in the Everglades. There simply wasn't evidence that such an idea was... what's the word? Bad.

Be realistic. No one could have known that Florida, particularly a low-lying swamp in the southern part of the state, could be subject to the threat of hurricanes for six months at a time. That's only, like... 12 divided by six, carry the two, multiply by... half the year. Are you forgetting how gorgeous it is in March?

Plus, no one could have foreseen that the climate crisis could intensify environmental chaos such as flooding, droughts and fires. There was nothing on the scientific record about Florida getting a lot of lightning, either.

Anyone who has ever taken an introductory business class knows Alligator Alcatraz T-shirt sales should have sufficed, even if proceeds were going to the Florida GOP and the reelection fund for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. No one intended to dip into state hurricane funds meant for defenseless moments. No one meant for Florida taxpayers to be left holding the bag worth hundreds of millions of dollars, not when bumper stickers were in play.

If you're saying that state and federal forces responsible for Alligator Alcatraz never cared about the dignity of human life, the preservation of the environment, the economic prosperity of taxpayers, the principles of fiscal conservatism or, you know, the threat of eternal damnation, well. Give them a break!

Please stop saying that DeSantis, Uthmeier and associates care only about their own political prospects on the floundering coattails of President Donald Trump. Please stop saying that such blind allegiance to an obvious house of cards is a condition that should be more widely studied in medical journals.

Release the idea that history will remember everyone involved as reckless hangers-on who left an irrevocable blight on this beautiful state's legacy.

Just go easy. Can't you find anything nice to say?

Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Follow her at @stephrhayes on Instagram.

Photo credit: David Cashbaugh at Unsplash