We walked the site of “Alligator Alcatraz.” This is what we saw:

A blacktop parking lot for 1,200 cars stretches across the landscape in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve — on the same ground that Friends of the Everglades was founded to protect in 1969. 

Before “Alligator Alcatraz,” grasses grew from this land. 

Now, some of the parking spaces are stained from vehicle leaks. Rectangular patches of asphalt cover what used to be drainage basins, and water pools on the pavement. More than 20 acres of new pavement were laid here.

I stood on this parking lot in August, during a visit to the “Alligator Alcatraz” site with the Miccosukee Tribe and other allies — part of our ongoing efforts to assess the damage, remediate the harm and ensure this land is protected forevermore.  

It was a somber and eye-opening visit. A huge mess remained. 

Heaps of limestone fill sat at the edge of the parking lot, with invasive plants growing from the trucked-in mountains. 

Partially toppled, plastic silt fences twisted in black ribbons around the site. Wood pylons and random rebar jutted from the ground.

We saw crushed PVC pipe where the “employee village” was. New-looking drainage basins were installed under the area of detainee housing. 

The state and federal government caused serious harm to the Everglades during the yearlong operation of “Alligator Alcatraz,” and that harm continues. So does our lawsuit to hold them accountable.  

We have every reason for continued vigilance. Just last month, Gov. DeSantis renewed the emergency order that was used to commandeer the property from Miami-Dade County in June 2025. The makeshift prison was built in eight days last summer, and it could be built again under those emergency powers. 

We’re suing to defend environmental law and order — to hold the government accountable for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. 

Our case is advancing in federal court in Miami, alongside our co-plaintiffs, the Miccosukee Tribe and Center for Biological Diversity.

The “Alligator Alcatraz” signs have come down, but we won’t rest until justice is served for the Everglades.

For the Everglades,
Eve Samples