Miami-Dade regains control of TNT property after Alligator Alcatraz closure
Key Points(5)
- Miami-Dade County has formally regained control of the county-owned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport property following the state’s termination of operations at the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility.
- The transfer was completed after a joint inspection Tuesday by Miami-Dade County and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), which identified impacts to the airfield and surrounding environment linked to the construction and operation of the detention facility.
- The county said it is documenting the impacts and expects the state to meet its commitment to return the property in the required condition and address any necessary remediation resulting from its use.
- “The return of this property to Miami-Dade County marks an important turning point,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
- “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,” she said.
Miami-Dade County has formally regained control of the county-owned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport property following the state’s termination of operations at the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility.
The transfer was completed after a joint inspection Tuesday by Miami-Dade County and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), which identified impacts to the airfield and surrounding environment linked to the construction and operation of the detention facility.
The state formally notified Miami-Dade County on Aug. 7 that its mission at the property was complete and that it was prepared to return control of the site to the county. In a letter to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, FDEM Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said the state would accompany county officials during the Aug. 11 inspection and return control of the property at the end of the day.
The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located at 54575 Tamiami Trail E. in Ochopee, was placed under state control in June 2025 under emergency powers granted to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The county said it is documenting the impacts identified during the inspection and expects the state to fulfill its commitment to return the property in the required condition and address any necessary remediation resulting from its use.
“The return of this property to Miami-Dade County marks an important turning point,” Levine Cava said. “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.”
Levine Cava said the county’s immediate responsibility is to fully understand and address the impacts left behind while working toward permanently protecting the land and restoring it as part of the greater Everglades ecosystem.
The county is now advancing plans toward the potential sale or transfer of all or part of the TNT property for permanent conservation and ecological restoration.
That work includes reviewing ownership interests, aviation requirements, environmental considerations, as well as the legal and financial implications of potential transfer options.
The county said it will work with federal, state, Tribal and environmental partners to determine the future of the property.
Once the review is complete, the administration will return to the Board of County Commissioners with recommendations for any actions requiring board approval.
