Florida
Venezuelan detainee alleges inhumane conditions at South Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz”
Steve Maugeri joined the CBS News Miami team in April 2024. Steve has always loved the beach and is excited to live this close to the ocean within a major city as well!
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A Venezuelan man detained at a Florida facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is alleging inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of medical care.
“For us, the conditions are fatal,” Enzo Aspite told CBS News Miami, although there are no reported deaths at the facility.
Aspite’s family says they only learned of his detention when he called them from inside the facility. The call, which dropped multiple times, was monitored and interrupted by automated warnings.
A check of Aspite’s criminal history shows at least seven arrests. He is originally from Venezuela and says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took him into custody on July 4 after his Temporary Protected Status expired. He was transferred to the facility on July 5.
“This is not for human beings”
CBS News Miami translated Aspite’s phone interview from Spanish to English. He agreed to let the station record and broadcast the conversation.
“This is not for human beings,” Aspite said. “We bathe one day, yes, and three days no. The lights are never turned off. We have no place for recreation. The food is given at different times. Giving us medication is awful. There is no doctor to see you.”
Aspite said he is living under a hot tent that leaks when it rains. “The sound of the rain on the tarp is frightening,” he said.
State denies allegations, says facility meets standards
CBS News Miami reached out to ICE and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) to verify Aspite’s claims. ICE referred questions to the state, which denied the allegations.
“There is a 24/7, fully staffed medical facility with pharmacy on site and there is working air conditioning throughout the facility,” an FDEM spokesperson said in a statement.
Allegations of inconsistent meals, lack of privacy
Aspite said he receives one hot and one cold meal each day, typically consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple and chips. When asked about his last meal, he said he had eaten that morning, but not since the previous afternoon.
“They have us in a cage like chickens,” he said. “There are 32 people in each cage. We have no rights here. When we need something, they ignore us.”
He also described a lack of privacy. “When we want to use the bathroom, we can’t because they see everything,” he said. “Above us we have a camera.”
Sanitation concerns met with state response
Aspite also expressed concerns about sanitation.
“The toilets back up and it’s something very horrible,” Aspite said.
In response to concerns about sanitation, FDEM said, “All wastewater is hard-pumped into 22,000-gallon frac tanks, maintained below 50% capacity and pumped daily to minimize transfers. Tanks, hoses and connections are fully contained to prevent spills and are regularly inspected to ensure zero environmental impact.”
Legal limbo and family desperation
Aspite said he has not signed any documents handed to him. His girlfriend told CBS News Miami that he does not have a lawyer. While Aspite does not want to return to Venezuela, his family said they just want him out of the facility.
“There have been no reported deaths at Alligator Alcatraz,” CBS News Miami confirmed, “but Aspite and his family want the public to know what he says is happening inside.”
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If you have an avocado tree growing in your backyard, experts say you need to be vigilant about a disease that has made a comeback and can destroy your fruit.
It’s called Sunblotch Viroid, a microscopic invader that can spread easily.
CBS Miami spoke with tropical fruit specialist Dr. Jonathan Crane at the University of Florida’s Research and Education Center in Homestead about the disease. He says a local farmer spotted the disease and notified him, prompting Crane to issue a warning.
Laurel wilt wiped out half of trees
Crane has worked for decades at the research center. He says that while the laurel wilt fungus wiped out nearly half of the avocado trees in South Florida, newly planted avocado trees are now susceptible to Sunblotch Viroid.
The disease leaves deep yellow scars on the fruit.
“You can have Viroid in a tree that doesn’t show symptoms. It can spread from seeds and root stock,” Crane said.
Crane advises growers with infected trees: “If it has it, they need to properly remove the tree entirely.”
Farmers inspect trees for signs
David Maes, manager of Marando Farms and Ranch in Davie, said the operation has had no Sunblotch issues but that he inspects the organic avocado trees regularly.
“It’s always a concern. You worry you will have to dig up a row,” Maes said. “That’s what happened with the citrus greening outbreak that happened 15 years ago. Tens of millions of citrus trees had to be destroyed because of a bug.”
Serious threat to avocado production
Crane says farmers and home growers should take the Sunblotch threat seriously.
“We have to look out. Because trees can be reduced 14 to 80 percent,” he said.
If you suspect you have an infected tree, Crane says you can take leaf samples to your local agricultural extension office. For a fee, they can test for confirmation.
If you’d like more information, contact the UF/IFAS TREC Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Homestead.
In the face of challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.
Paul Renner, a candidate for Florida Governor speaks at Seed to Table in Naples
Florida gubernatorial candidate, Paul Renner speaks at Seed to Table in Naples. Gets endorsement from Stand for Health Freedom group
Less than 12 months until the election, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has the backing of President Donald Trump, is comfortably ahead in polls for the GOP nomination to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But there are signs the sleepy race is sparking to life: Donalds’ rivals are lining up to attack the Naples Republican and chip away at his lead in the polls.
Former House Speaker Paul Renner released an extensive economic platform on Nov. 14 focused on affordability – a topic top of mind for voters in the recent off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022. DeSantis selected him to fill the vacant lieutenant governor position in August, fueling speculation he’d later run to replace the term-limited DeSantis next year.
Collins hasn’t officially declared his candidacy but continues to tease his own run, and has recently started unsubtly slamming Donalds online.
“Let’s face it. Most members of Congress won’t pass a single meaningful bill for their district,” Collins posted on X on Nov. 13. “So they turn to Fox News or CNN to build name ID … and then run for Governor.”
A nonprofit organization, Florida Fighters, also started running ads featuring Collins.
There’s also the prospect of a wildcard in the race. James Fishback, the 30-year-old CEO of the investment firm Azoria, has said he’ll officially announce his campaign soon. He has repeatedly attacked Donalds, particularly on immigration policies related to the federal H1B visa program, calling him “DEI Donalds” and “H1Byron.”
Byron Donalds can boast he’s tops in the polls
In the face of these challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.
A Victory Insights poll conducted Nov. 11–13 of 600 likely Republican voters found he has 45% support, while Renner has 2.7%, Collins 1.2% and Fishback 1.1%. Nearly half of respondents (49.9%), however, said they were undecided, leaving a pathway for the trailing pack to win over the electorate.
Donalds has continued to campaign, attending Turning Point USA events at University of Florida in the last week. And he’s started to talk more about the cost of living, telling Newsmax on Nov. 13 that Florida will have to develop its own health care plan if Congress can’t fix or replace the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies for coverage plans on ACA exchanges are set to expire at the end of the year, boosting monthly costs.
“Health care costs are out of control. If the feds aren’t going to be responsive then Florida is going to have to lead the way,” Donalds said.
Affordability has become a catchphrase for campaigns as costs have continued to rise, including for housing and beef and grocery staples.
Renner’s plan would tackle housing costs by slashing property taxes and passing more litigation reforms to drive down property insurance rates. He also wants to keep tuition rates level for higher education and expand vocational programs to generate more high-paying jobs.
The plan would also eliminate H1B visas for workers at state agencies. DeSantis recently said he’s eliminating H1B visas for employees at state universities.
The H1B visa program, started in 1990 by Congress, has been criticized by hardline anti-immigration hawks as being abused by large corporations to bring in foreign workers at the expense of Americans.
“We can provide residents with lower costs and a business climate that creates jobs with better incomes,” Renner said in a statement.
“This plan begins with an immediate and overdue property tax rollback, through legislative action,” he added. “This will ease the financial burden of hardworking taxpayers across the state while we await long-term reforms that require constitutional amendment a year from now.”
On the Democratic side, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings got in the race earlier this month, challenging former U.S. Rep. David Jolly who announced his campaign in the summer.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
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