Alligator Alcatraz is gone, but its footprint remains. After taking back the property last week, Miami-Dade County says it’s documenting impacts to the site and expects Florida to pay for any needed repairs or restoration.
Miami-Dade County regained control of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) property Tuesday, Aug. 11 after the State of Florida shut down operations at the tented detention facility on a remote airstrip in Ochopee. The site has been the subject of legal battles and environmental concern for more than a year.
Before the state handed over the property, Miami-Dade County and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) conducted a joint inspection of the site. County officials said the inspection identified impacts to the airfield and surrounding environment that happened during the construction and operation of the detention camp. The county is currently documenting those impacts and expects the state to follow through on its commitment to restore the land and address any damage left behind.
With Alligator Alcatraz gone, what’s next for the site?
With the land back in county hands, Miami-Dade is evaluating a potential sale or transfer of all or part of the 17,000-acre land for permanent conservation and ecological restoration. This process involves a review of ownership interests, aviation requirements and environmental considerations. Officials are also looking at the legal and financial implications of various transfer options.
“The return of this property to Miami-Dade County marks an important turning point. From the beginning, I have been clear that this detention facility should never have been built, and now we have an opportunity to shape a better future for these lands,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a statement. “Our immediate responsibility is to fully understand and address the impacts left behind. At the same time, we are moving forward with our goal of permanently protecting this land and restoring it as part of the greater Everglades ecosystem. We will work with our federal, state, Tribal, and environmental partners to chart the right path forward and ensure these lands are protected for generations to come.”
Restoring Everglades site is a ‘generational opportunity’
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) voiced strong support for the proposal to transfer the land to the National Park Service. Kyle Groetzinger, NPCA Associate Director of Communications, called the situation a “generational opportunity for Florida.”
Marisa Carrozzo, NPCA Sun Coast Senior Program Manager, provided a statement noting the historical importance of the site, which is surrounded by Big Cypress National Preserve and sits directly upstream of Everglades National Park.
“For decades, park advocates have rallied together to protect Big Cypress National Preserve, a wild landscape that is part of the fabric of Florida. Securing these thousands of acres of critical ecosystems for long-term protection within Big Cypress National Preserve is a once-in-a-generation conservation opportunity,” Carrozzo said, adding that the proposal could protect the area from future expansion.
“Adding the TNT land to the conservation landscape would help ensure that restoration gains are not diminished by incompatible development. Preserving these wetlands safeguards drinking water and water quality, provides habitat for endangered species such as the Florida panther, strengthens connectivity between protected lands, and creates opportunities to maximize the ecological benefits of restoration projects throughout the region,” Carrozzo said.
Why was this land taken by the state?
The state took control of the 39-square-mile site in Ochopee in the summer of 2025. Gov. Ron DeSantis used emergency powers to seize the airfield from Miami-Dade County after the county rejected a $20 million purchase offer from the state. County officials had indicated that appraisals valued the land closer to $200 million.
The state then built the soft-sided detention facility in eight days to support federal immigration enforcement efforts. The facility, which opened July 2, 2025, was designed to hold thousands of detainees.
Throughout its operation, the site faced intense criticism from environmental groups, Southwest Florida residents, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Opponents argued the facility was built without required environmental reviews and posed a threat to the fragile ecosystem.
How does DeSantis and Uthmeier view the restoration?
While the county and conservation groups are pushing for permanent protection, state leaders have offered different perspectives on the land’s future. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who originally proposed the detention center, voiced support for returning the site to a protected status.
“The plan has always been to protect the Everglades and take it back to a protected area where it’s not a commercial business, an airport,” Uthmeier said during a press conference in June.
However, DeSantis questioned how much restoration is actually necessary. During a press conference at the airstrip June 25, he questioned whether uprooting the existing infrastructure would provide much benefit.
“I’m not sure that that’s something that our administration is going to push. It was fine the way it was,” DeSantis said regarding the removal of concrete and other structures. He argued that the facility was self-contained and did not allow runoff into the environment. “They did a really good job of keeping this contained so that it didn’t have that impact on the surrounding environment, especially given what we’ve done to support Everglades Restoration,” he said.
Despite the facility’s closure, legal battles continue. Environmental groups recently filed an amended lawsuit alleging that state and federal officials withheld records during the litigation that helped keep the detention center open for nearly a year. A hearing on that amended complaint was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 14 in Miami.
Mickenzie Hannon is a watchdog reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News, covering Collier and Lee counties. Contact her at 239-435-3423 or mhannon@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Miami-Dade takes back Alligator Alcatraz site after closure
Reporting by Mickenzie Hannon, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mickenzie Hannon, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
