Florida AG should replace dystopian rhetoric on ‘Alligator Alcatraz' for empathy

Miami Herald

30-06-2025

Retrograde habits
On ✓March 22, 1933, Dachau opened as the first concentration camp of the Nazi regime. Initially, it imprisoned political opponents, later incarcerating Jews, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, physically and mentally impaired people and others on the margins of society. Few in Germany raised voices of opposition, due to ignorance, indifference or fear of retaliation.
Recent comments by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier would have been applauded by those who supported the ideas of isolating Germany's unwanted in the 1930s. Suggesting that alligators, pythons and the Everglades' vast wetlands are sufficient deterrents to anyone wishing to escape only indicates the level of dystopia to which he has sunk.
Obviously, he has never trekked through the jungles of the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia, crossed the shark infested and storm-tossed waters of the Atlantic, or risked his life and the lives of his family with smugglers in a search for freedom.
Bill Bullard, a former high school dean, authored, 'Opinion is the lowest form of human knowledge because it requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, because it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world.'
Uthmeier should apply the moral and mental effort to comprehend what he is condoning. When empathy is absent or viewed as a weakness, then humanity no longer possesses its inherent dignity and value and we will have devolved into our animal instincts.
Rev. Leo F. Armbrust,
Glen Ridge
Adaptive reuse
Having lived in Miami for more than 70 years and witnessing the assassination of most of our city's historic buildings, another treasure of our history is seemingly being prepared for it's inevitable destruction. The Olympia Theater is a jewel. It can be preserved for its original purpose and contribution to our cultural life.
I remember going with my grandmother and my parents to see movies in that extraordinary place. I remember seeing other performances there also. Miami, however, is not interested in my memories or the stories of any structures that tell of the city's earlier history.
Local politicians and some residents have found the perfect, if criminal way, to destroy buildings designated as 'historic:' benign neglect. Witness the Coconut Grove Playhouse and the Miami Courthouse.
However, it does not have to be this way. Another glorious structure has survived and been preserved for 168 years: Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. The story of this structure is evidence of the way businessmen operated in a different time when, instead of trying to steal property and land from the people, they found ways to give back to their communities.
Mechanics Hall was first thought of as a way to teach young men the skills they could use to earn their living and to provide a place for the community to be exposed to higher culture. In serving these ends, a 'shop' became the pride of a growing city that remains to this day and retains its perfect acoustics.
Read the story of Mechanics Hall and learn about another path forward.
Judith Antinarella,
Miami
Gator bites
Gov. Ron DeSantis is creating 'Alligator Alcatraz' with the expectation of getting reimbursed by the Trump administration. According to some news reports, it's estimated cost is about $450 million. In addition to the setup costs, the environmental costs will be substantial.
Unfortunately, President Trump is not known to pay his debts and Florida taxpayers will probably get stuck with the bill.
Joe Smariga,
Fort Lauderdale
Party politics
I read with appreciation Herald Editorial Board member Mary Anna Mancuso's well-thought June 15 op-ed, 'Florida doesn't need a new third political party,' on preserving Florida's two-party political system.
Recreating is always more costly than tweaking most problems. Florida's troubled politics are certainly worthy of needing a fix.
In his intent to run for governor, John Morgan should be aware that injecting another party system is doomed to neutralize our time-honored American two-party system.
If he truly wishes to serve the people of Florida, selecting an existing party and promoting a positive platform would serve the citizens more favorably.
H. Allen Benowitz,
Miami
Zone of interest
Let's call 'Alligator Alcatraz' and other similar detention centers what they are: concentration camps. Our government is building concentration camps in the Everglades.
Secret, masked, police are taking people off the street, with no due process and placing them in camps with no oversight or accountability. Concentration camps, that's what they are.
Jason Ireland,
Fort Lauderdale
Can I get a yes?
The slogan used for the old anti-drug program for kids was 'Just Say No.' We can now use that same slogan when we talk about today's 'No' society.
'No' to certain books, 'no' to certain classes in school (undergrad and grad), 'no' to abortion, 'no' to gun control, 'no' to DEI. No, no, no. What a legacy for this generation and our country to have.
Could we possibly turn this around and become an inclusive and understanding country of 'Yes?'
Hope so.
Alvin Blake,
Miami
Surviving attacks
I traveled to Israel for a summer financial technology internship. I lived with students from University of Miami, University of Central Florida and Florida International University. Although Hamas and Houthis launched earlier attacks, we stayed optimistic and focused on our work.
Everything changed when Iran launched missiles at our area. Buildings where some students worked were hit. In response, we were quickly moved to a hotel with other American students and then brought to a boat heading for Cyprus. Missiles exploded just yards from the boat. Iranian rockets approached, intercepted by the Iron Dome, allowing us to continue safely.
New challenges awaited in Cyprus. An Iranian agent leaked our flight coordinates online, forcing a delay of departure. Authorities arrested the agent.
When we landed in Rome, students chose to remove their visible Star of Davids out of caution. I made it home to Chicago with a deeper appreciation for peace, safety and the strength of community. Now, when I walk across the University of Miami campus, I feel a renewed sense of gratitude. I'm grateful for freedom, for safety and for the chance to live without fear of sirens or war.
Jacob Goroff,
Chicago, IL
Big bad payoff
Florida's Republican state legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis recently passed a new law restricting local governments' ability to establish historic districts (among other idiotic restrictions). This is tragic and an economic malpractice.
I arrived in Miami in May 1983 and worked in the South Beach office of Jewish Family Services. Hard to believe that back then, South Beach was economically depressed, a truly slum and blighted area. The designation of the Art Deco District was the catalyst which sparked the revitalization of that area, making it one of the most desirable and high-end communities in Florida (now worth billions of dollars).
As an affordable housing developer for the past 28 years, I am sure that Republican legislators who have effectively killed home rule in cities and counties throughout Florida have received hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of developer political contributions (paradoxically, home rule was once a plank in the Republican Party's platform).
These myopic Republicans have effectively killed the goose that lays golden eggs, just for their short term personal benefit.
Doug Mayer,
president,
Stone Soup Development,
Coral Gables
Get it done
What would have happened on 9/11 if Bin Laden had had access to a nuclear bomb?
Different delivery logistics, of course, but imagine the result.
Iranian leaders, military and many of their civilians have grown up to hate the U.S. as much or more.
Preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons must be done at all costs.
Daniel Westbrook,
Miami