Alligators in Florida are trending. But not for the reason you think.
Alligator Alcatraz, the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, had a special visitor Tuesday, July 1 − President Donald Trump. It marked the first visit back to the Sunshine State in months.
Since Trump officially declared Florida his home state in 2019, he − and other Florida residents − know all about the state mascot, the alligator.
Home to 1.3 million alligators, Florida’s pretty synonymous with the reptile — viral videos of a gator walking the runway at an airport, showing up in a pool or on the beach … heck, one of our top universities features the creature as its mascot.
Due to the attention of Alligator Alcatraz, many may be wondering about alligators in Florida.
Below is information about alligators in Florida and what to know about Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades.
What is Alligator Alcatraz in Florida? Where is Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades?
What is Alligator Alcatraz? It’s an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and State Attorney General James Uthmeier.
On June 19 on social media, Uthmeier suggested a 39-square-mile airport facility in the Everglades with a 10,500-foot runway could be easily converted into a temporary immigrant detention center to aid in Florida’s efforts to locate and deport “criminal aliens.”
Uthmeier posted on X that he called it “Alligator Alcatraz.”
However, not everyone is on board with Alligator Alcatraz, located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida. Since ground broke at transforming the lone airport strip into the ICE detention center, environmental groups protested against Alligator Alcatraz.
The ICE detention center hosted VIP guests for its opening day, including President Donald Trump.
Florida is home to 1.3 million alligators. But this state has the largest alligator population
If you live in Florida, you likely know you have to coexist with alligators. So long as you keep your distance and never feed one if it crosses your path, you should be fine.
But there’s actually another state that’s home to more than 2 million alligators. And alligators probably aren’t the animal or object that comes to mind when you think of this state.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, “Louisiana’s wild alligator population has increased from less than 100,000 to more than 2 million in the past 50 years. There are also nearly 1 million alligators on farms in Louisiana.”
A July 2024 report in the AZ Animals blog sums up the largest alligator population by state:
How many alligators are in the Florida Everglades?
Each year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission takes a census of 50 alligator-infested places in Florida to gauge how many alligators are living in the state. The FWC says it enlists the help of scientists and biologists who go out on airboats at night to count how many glowing sets of red eyes they see floating on the water.
Counting every gator is not possible, so the exact count and some math magic are used to estimate what the total population likely is for some lakes.
According to the FWC, “Alligators occur in all 67 counties in Florida and can be found in practically all fresh and brackish water bodies and occasionally in salt water. Although exact population figures are not known, Florida has a healthy and stable population of about 1.3 million alligators of every size. This population estimate is based on an estimated 6.7 million acres of suitable habitat.”
The FWC does not list a total number for alligators living in the Florida Everglades.
However, a December 2024 report on islands.com states, the Florida Everglades is home to 200,000 alligators, specifically, Everglades National Park: “The park, spanning 1.5-million acres, is a vast subtropical eco-system that includes swamps, wetlands, and mangrove forests that form the only place where you can see wild alligators and crocodiles in one spot.”
Contributing: Lianna Norman, USA TODAY Network-Florida
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Alligator Alcatraz is an ICE detention center in Florida. How many gators are in the Everglades?
Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
