I’ve written up to now in regards to the Dade-Collier Coaching and Transition Airport, which is positioned within the Everglades. These days, it’s a small, practically deserted normal aviation airport. Nonetheless, the historical past of it’s fascinating, as in 1968, there have been plans for it to turn into the world’s largest airport.
It appears to be like like there are actually new plans for the power (because of Jeff for flagging this), although they’re little doubt controversial, and definitely much less interesting to us aviation geeks…
Florida airport to be was migrant detention facility
Just lately, Florida Lawyer Common James Uthmeier laid out a plan for Florida to show the Dade-Collier Coaching and Transition Airport right into a migrant detention facility, which he’s naming “Alligator Alcatraz.” In a video he posted to his personal social media, he described this as follows:
“Environment friendly. Low price alternative to construct a short lived detention facility since you don’t want to take a position that a lot into the perimeter. Folks, get out. There’s not a lot ready for them, apart from alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to cover.”
The objective is to have this facility up and operating by early July, with at the very least 1,000 beds (although in a later interview, Uthmeier elevated that quantity to five,000 beds). As Uthmeier described it, migrants will likely be housed in “gentle infrastructure,” together with “heavy-duty tent services, trailer services.” “We’ll detain, deport and get individuals out of this nation, it’s an amazing facility.”
Uthmeier acknowledged that “lots of people thought perhaps it was only a joke, however no, we’re severe,” and that “the perimeter is already set by Mom Nature.” The power is anticipated to price $450 million per yr to run, although Florida can have the chance to hunt reimbursement from the federal authorities.
Governor Ron DeSantis’ workplace has issued the next assertion in regards to the plan:
“Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, underneath his management, will facilitate the federal authorities in implementing immigration regulation. On the governor’s path, the Florida Division of Emergency Administration has drafted and submitted to DHS a plan (the State immigration Enforcement Operations Plan—connected) for Florida to additional help within the detention, processing, and deportation of unlawful immigrants. Florida’s DEM has additionally supplied to purchase the Dade-Collier Coaching and Transition Airport for this goal. Using this house and/or others across the state, Florida will proceed to steer in immigration enforcement.”
State tries to purchase airport with lowball supply
The airport is owned by Miami-Dade, however state officers are capable of take over this land underneath emergency powers granted to the governor underneath a declared state of emergency over unlawful immigration, which was issued in 2023. Below Florida regulation, the governor has the facility to make use of non-public property whether it is deemed essential to “cope” with an emergency.
With plans to make use of the power in the long term, state and county officers are presently negotiating the acquisition of the property, although they’re a protracted methods aside when it comes to valuation. The state has supplied to pay $20 million for the land, whereas a Could 2025 appraisal assessed the land at $195 million.
Moreover, the Miami-Dade County Mayor has raised issues to state officers about creating the property, arguing that any modifications require “appreciable evaluation and due diligence.” The Division of Emergency Administration Director has stated that it’s “crucial that we absolutely perceive the scope and scale of the proposed use of the positioning and what will likely be developed, because the impacts to the Everglades ecosystem could possibly be devastating.”
Backside line
The Everglades’ Dade-Collier Coaching and Transition Airport, which was as soon as speculated to turn into the world’s largest airport, will likely be closed and was a migrant facility. That is all taking place in a short time, and by July, there must be at the very least 1,000 individuals detained there.
Clearly all of us have our political beliefs on this, and in all honesty, that’s not the angle from which I’m coming at this. As an alternative, my most frequent route is between Miami (MIA) and Tampa (TPA), and each time I take this flight, I have a look at Flightradar24, particularly as a result of I’m curious if I can spot this airport. That is simply such a singular facility, when you think about what was nearly constructed there. Clearly as a migrant facility, I’ll have a barely totally different impression.
