Miami-Dade to pursue permanent protection of county-owned lands used for 'Alligator Alcatraz'

With the Everglades Detention Facility, known commonly as "Alligator Alcatraz," in the process of deconstruction following Governor Ron DeSantis' announcement of its closure, the question now posed is what will the land that the facility took up be used for next?

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced on Thursday the administration's intent to pursue the sale and transfer of all of the county-controlled lands at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, the land where the facility stands, to the National Park Service and other authorized Everglades restoration partners.

In a news release, the mayor's office said the goal for the land is permanent conservation and the eventual decommissioning of the detention facility. It added that the administration will identify the legal process for the sale and transfer of the property into the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

"From the very beginning, I have raised serious concerns about the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility because people have been held there in inhumane conditions without meaningful due process, while occupying land alongside one of the world’s most precious natural ecosystems," said Mayor Levine Cava. "Once this facility is decommissioned, we have an opportunity to permanently protect these lands for Everglades restoration and ensure they remain protected for generations to come. That is the legacy we should leave."

In the release, the mayor said that her administration found little strategic value in the land as an aviation unit, citing the facility's remote location, limited aviation utility and maintenance obligations, among other factors.

Potential options for the transfer and sale of the land include conservation easements, deed restrictions, intergovernmental agreements, land exchanges or fee-simple conveyance.