Miami, FL

Who are the best players in Florida in EA College Football 25? Full speed, strength, overall ratings

Published

2 years ago

July 15, 2024

Who are the best players in Florida in EA College Football 25? Full speed, strength, overall ratings

Some gamers will have to wait until Friday when the standard edition comes out. But for those that pre-ordered the deluxe edition of College Football 25, they got their hands on the hottest new sports video game on the market Monday.

It’s the first college football title published by EA Sports in 11 years. The last was NCAA Football 14.

And for the first time ever, the game includes players’ actual names, which was made possible by the name, image and likeness rules ratified during the past few years.

All 134 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams are featured, including seven Florida programs.

Want to play as Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei or Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr.? Now, you can.

Here are the 85-man rosters for Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida and UCF.

Florida Gators College Football 25 player ratings

Player	Position	Speed	Strength	Overall
J. Marshall Jr.	CB	94	70	89
J. Slaughter	OL	65	85	87
M. Johnson Jr.	RB	88	75	87
E. Wilson III	WR	93	56	86
E. Badger	WR	91	67	85
A. Turner	SS	86	72	84
J. Crawshaw	P	69	56	84
G. Mertz	QB	74	67	84
D. Moore	CB	91	72	83
S. James	MLB	84	77	83
J. Jackson	CB	91	60	83
J. Castell	FS	88	76	82
T. Sapp	LE	79	83	82
C. McClain	CB	92	57	82
K. Collins	LE	76	85	81
A. Barber	LT	63	93	80
C. Dike	WR	92	69	80
D. Lagway	QB	88	70	80
C. Jackson	DT	49	94	79
D. George Jr.	RG	46	93	79
T. Bridges	CB	91	66	79
C. Banks	DE	68	94	79
T. Smack	K	69	52	79
L. McCray	LE	75	90	79
R. Moten	FS	90	79	79
G. Howard	ROLB	82	73	79
J. Slackman	RE	72	89	79
J. Boone	LOLB	76	84	79
J. Lyons	DT	63	90	78
D. Watson	DT	34	97	78
H. Hansen	TE	70	84	78
D. Johnson	CB	91	73	78
D. Manuel	LT	62	84	78
R. Kearney	C	63	84	78
A. Mizell	WR	96	60	78
A. Boardingham	TE	86	69	78
T. Webb	HB	88	78	77
M. Graham	MLB	84	69	77
D. Wingo	MLB	84	77	77
K. James	LE	75	86	77
M. Burke	WR	92	71	77
J. Zandamela	C	70	73	77
T. Searcy	LOLB	80	82	77
K. Harris	LG	61	88	77
G. Gumbs Jr.	LOLB	75	81	76
B. Crenshaw-Dickson	RT	53	86	76
R. Simonds	RG	54	85	76
D. Douglas	SS	84	73	76
C. Millen	QB	75	65	75
C. Williams	LG	57	87	75
K. Zipperer	TE	84	70	75
B. Thornton	SS	88	73	75
J. Baugh	HB	86	79	75
K. Jackson	WR	86	74	74
M. Pitts	RT	57	85	74
S. Denson	FS	90	65	74
C. Jones	LT	49	94	74
A. Gates	SS	88	71	74
F. Westphal	RT	54	94	74
K. Waites	RT	42	97	74
J. Fraziers	WR	88	76	74
K. Daniels	RB	91	67	74
J. Robinson	ROLB	82	79	73
G. Smith III	SS	90	61	73
J. Grimsley	CB	93	59	73
G. Hill	TE	78	80	73
J. Pyburn	ROLB	77	81	72
T. Livingston	TE	77	80	72
T. Fuller	MLB	79	80	72
A. Jean	WR	90	68	71
D. Spurlock II	MLB	79	72	71
J. Davis	SS	88	59	70
J. Weston	LOLB	80	80	69
T. Abrams	WR	95	57	68
T. Foster	CB	90	49	68
T. Spierto	WR	85	73	68
P. Terry	LT	58	86	68
C. Carroll	RB	84	80	67
T. Hawkins	WR	97	46	67
L. Swafford	LOLB	77	93	66
K. Hardee	TE	79	67	66
J. Jackson	RB	84	79	64
P. Leise	QB	72	67	64
A. Covington	FS	86	71	63
R. Underwood	TE	73	68	62

Florida State Seminoles College Football 25 player ratings

Player	Position	Speed	Strength	Overall
P. Payton	LE	85	77	90
S. Brown	SS	86	72	89
A. Thomas	CB	92	67	88
M. Smith	C	63	90	88
D. Jackson Jr.	DT	61	95	88
F. Cypress II	CB	90	59	87
D. Washington	LT	63	87	86
D. Uiagalelei	QB	77	82	86
R. Williams	HB	88	75	85
J. Farmer	DT	66	93	85
M. Benson	WR	96	62	85
J. Lucas	HB	95	57	84
L. Toafili	HB	93	68	84
D. Lundy	ROLB	79	81	84
M. Jones Jr.	RE	85	84	84
J. Byers	RT	54	90	84
R. Leonard IV	RG	53	93	83
A. Mastrommanno	P	65	66	83
K. Jones	RG	50	91	83
D. Brown	FS	90	58	82
S. Lolohea	RE	71	84	82
O. Cooper	CB	91	65	81
E. Little II	CB	91	55	81
C. Hussey	FS	91	67	81
C. Holmes	HB	95	73	81
G. Kelly	DT	69	85	81
J. Rizy	RT	57	86	80
C. Riley	ROLB	83	79	80
T. Durojaiye	LE	75	81	80
S. Murphy	MLB	84	67	79
B. Estes	RG	56	84	79
L. Simmons	LT	59	90	78
J. Armella	LG	58	91	78
K. Sampson	DT	61	90	77
R. Scott Jr.	LT	55	89	77
B. Nicholson	MLB	83	75	77
K. Knowles II	FS	90	60	77
O. Graham Jr.	MLB	81	76	77
C. Lester III	CB	88	60	77
L. Kromenhoek	QB	84	58	76
B. Glenn	QB	75	65	76
J. Early	RT	64	86	76
J. Douglas	WR	92	61	76
J. Brown	WR	96	56	76
J. West	TE	75	75	75
K. Poitier	WE	86	76	75
K. Morlock	TE	71	73	75
D. Lyons	DT	67	86	75
K. Kirkland	SS	88	69	75
C. Bates	CB	91	57	75
D. Hill	WR	91	67	75
L. Green Jr.	RE	80	78	75
K. Davis	HB	88	79	75
L. Thomas	TE	85	74	75
M. Itete	LG	67	81	74
B. Courtney	TE	78	80	74
R. Montgomery	LG	60	87	74
B. Turner Jr.	LE	74	76	74
J. Jones	LE	75	80	74
A. Hester	LE	76	74	74
D. Williamson	WR	89	74	73
A. Williams	RE	83	69	72
Q. Jones	CB	89	63	72
J. Cryer	ROLB	78	80	72
D. Jones	CB	90	61	72
A. Barker	SS	84	74	72
J. Todd	RT	54	89	71
D. Ward	ROLB	79	75	70
J. Rawls	CB	89	64	70
D. Lee	WR	90	67	70
D. Spann	WR	88	75	69
T. Jackson	QB	82	62	69
L. McCoy	WR	91	57	69
T. Frazier	CB	92	50	69
T. Hylton	LT	67	79	67
J. Parrish	LOLB	83	68	67
Z. Redd	LT	63	80	67
T. Hickman-Collins	MLB	78	72	67
C. Frier	WR	94	58	66
B. Gibson	WR	90	64	66
J. Langston	WR	90	63	66
R. Fitzgerald	K	69	51	65
M. Chiumento	P	65	64	65
M. Arnold	TE	73	68	53
A. Bracewell	LOLB	74	78	53

UCF Knights College Football 25 player ratings

Player	Position	Speed	Strength	Overall
R. Harvey	HB	92	74	91
P. Boone	HB	86	84	88
K. Jefferson	QB	86	85	87
J. Richardson Jr.	HB	91	61	86
A. Kight	LT	64	91	85
K. Hudson	WR	92	68	85
L. Hunter	DT	63	93	85
B. Adams	CB	90	59	84
M. Montgomery	HB	88	72	82
D. Pace	SS	83	73	82
S. Arnold II	FS	88	71	81
M. McWilliams	CB	90	65	81
R. Pittman Jr.	TE	82	71	81
B. Threats	SS	89	66	80
M. Lawrence	LE	81	79	80
R. Barber	DT	66	88	80
A. Jackson	CB	92	59	80
J. Henderson	CB	92	49	79
T. Fegans	CB	90	61	79
A. Medley	LG	53	84	79
J. Walker	DT	62	93	79
X. Townsend	WR	92	61	78
C. Kitler	C	59	95	78
J. Brooks	C	44	95	78
M. Marshall	RG	48	87	78
E. Barr	MLB	81	72	78
Q. Bullard	FS	90	52	77
D. Dotson	RE	78	81	77
J. Pierre	ROLB	82	84	77
C. Hawkins	FS	90	63	77
C. Magwood	WR	90	62	77
L. Tennison	SS	87	63	77
J. Jones	WR	85	79	76
X. Alexander	MLB	83	76	76
J. Brown	QB	88	68	76
J. Johnson	WR	96	47	76
E. Morris	TE	79	82	75
C. Zellwood	FS	87	66	75
C. Boomer	K	70	47	74
A. Harris	MLB	88	78	74
J. Johnson	LE	74	79	73
D. Odom	LOLB	81	73	73
K. Moore	ROLB	81	67	73
W. Wells	SS	88	60	73
W. Dorsey	RT	62	89	73
I. Nixon	LE	79	71	73
M. McCarthy	P	59	56	73
C. Kinnie	RG	57	89	73
P. Rubelt	LT	52	91	73
M. Downs	DT	59	88	72
J. Gude	SS	85	63	72
T. Bullard	ROLB	83	66	72
K. Smith	LG	63	83	72
P. Barnett	RG	56	86	72
T. Whittemore	WR	87	78	71
B. Marshall	CB	91	60	71
K. Hudson	DT	57	90	71
M. Alexander	DT	60	90	71
J. Davis	TE	73	79	71
J. Heyward	FS	95	58	71
M. Manley	RE	74	81	71
J. Bridgewater	WR	88	68	70
C. Peterson	CB	93	44	70
R. Adkins	TE	74	73	70
J. Cline	C	59	86	70
K. Call	RE	75	80	70
D. Rizk	QB	74	65	70
G. Stevens	TE	77	66	70
J. Presley	SS	84	72	69
E. Colson	QB	83	59	69
R. Trujillo	QB	82	62	69
W. Flynn	C	60	85	69
T. Ford Jr.	MLB	78	80	69
C. Malamala	RT	47	92	68
K. Fox	WR	86	72	68
S. Gage	HB	87	74	68
K. Cox	LT	64	80	68
K. Ingram	HB	90	65	67
J. Baker	WR	90	51	67
K. Stokes	WR	94	57	67
C. Johnson	CB	90	57	67
C. Simon	HB	92	63	66
B. Worrell	ROLB	79	74	65
B. Richardson	WR	90	61	64
G. King	TE	58	72	63

Miami Hurricanes College Football 25 player ratings

Player	Position	Speed	Strength	Overall
D. Martinez	HB	88	82	91
R. Bain Jr.	LE	81	91	90
X. Restrepo	WR	89	66	90
C. Ward	QB	84	70	89
J. Rivers	LT	60	94	88
F. Mauigoa	RT	60	96	87
A. Cooper	RG	50	93	85
E. Alston	RE	83	83	85
J. George	WR	92	59	85
A. Borregales	K	73	42	85
F. Mauigoa	MLB	78	84	84
S. Barrow Jr.	DT	68	88	84
M. Fletcher Jr.	HB	90	80	84
D. Hill	CB	89	62	82
M. Cook	DT	69	88	82
M. Powell	SS	90	74	81
D. Langston	CB	92	48	81
A. Allen	HB	90	66	80
W. Bissainthe	ROLB	86	62	80
S. Okunlola	LT	61	86	80
E. Arroyo	TE	83	70	80
C. McCormick	TE	78	85	79
A. Mesidor	LE	72	84	79
D. Joyce	P	66	65	79
R. Stafford	CB	92	60	79
C. Clark	DT	70	89	78
L. Cristobal Jr.	RG	59	87	78
A. Blount	LE	79	93	78
R. Williams	TE	73	60	78
M. Lightfoot	RE	84	68	77
J. Alderman	MLB	79	76	77
D. Knight	FS	89	66	77
R. Breaston	MLB	79	79	77
M. Bell	LT	51	93	77
J. Harris	SS	89	67	77
J. Trader	WR	92	55	76
Z. Patterson	FS	86	63	76
R. Cotton	CB	91	54	76
L. Ramsey	RE	77	80	76
M. Williams	SS	91	55	76
I. Taylor	FS	86	92	76
C. Johnson Jr.	HB	98	67	76
I. Horton	WR	88	76	76
M. Bryant	MLB	80	77	76
R. Aguirre Jr.	ROLB	81	77	76
D. Morgan	LOLB	84	66	75
K. McManus	RE	79	74	75
A. Campbell	DT	59	92	75
R. Rodriguez	C	68	92	75
L. Elam	CB	90	59	74
A. Moten	DT	55	94	74
R. Poffenbarger	QB	76	63	74
M. McCoy	RT	64	86	74
R. Joseph	WR	92	55	73
C. Pruitt	MLB	86	64	73
M. Redding III	WR	89	66	73
M. Crawford	DT	65	86	73
D. Compton	HB	92	66	73
J. Horton	DT	64	89	73
E. Lofton	TE	83	67	73
A. Tripp Jr.	RG	57	88	72
C. Wheatley-Humphrey	HB	89	66	71
M. Chamberlain	C	62	85	71
J. Andrews	CB	90	64	71
D. Massey	CB	90	61	71
C. McConathy II	RE	77	69	70
I. Thomas	SS	86	78	70
T. Larson	TE	79	69	70
C. Carmichael	RE	78	75	70
T. Kinsler IV	LG	51	95	70
N. Francavilla	C	57	86	69
F. Tinilau	LT	55	90	69
D. Little	WR	90	67	69
J. Anderson	QB	71	63	69
D. Day	FS	94	52	68
H. Benson	ROLB	84	70	68
D. Hodges	WR	90	64	68
J. Moreland	LE	73	83	68
T. McCormick	WR	90	63	68
D. Plazz	LG	62	82	68
J. Carver	TE	79	69	68
O. Ford	RT	55	91	67
D. Kramer	DT	67	83	67
J. Anderson	WR	92	57	66

USF Bulls College Football 25 player ratings

Player	Position	Speed	Strength	Overall
S. Atkins	WR	89	56	87
B. Brown	QB	87	73	84
A. Brown	CB	91	58	84
J. Shuler	ROLB	81	74	84
T. Keith	HB	90	62	80
Z. Herring	RG	55	90	80
R. Cheney	DT	71	87	80
N. Simmons	WR	88	61	79
D. Blue-Eli	DT	53	96	79
A. Stokes	P	56	66	79
A. Yaseen	WR	89	71	78
P. Singletary	TE	82	71	78
I. Hickman	DT	69	90	78
K. Joiner	HB	90	63	77
T. Ward	CB	87	65	77
M. Brown-Stephens	WR	90	64	77
M. Harris	MLB	83	76	77
J. Stokes	SS	92	63	77
K. Powell	HB	88	75	77
J. Vaughn	LE	74	80	76
D. Rucker	CB	90	66	76
D. Harris	RE	77	78	75
W. Wolff	TE	77	69	75
D. Bowman	RT	64	92	75
M. Lofton	C	53	89	75
L. Berryhill	FS	85	68	75
D. Gordon IV	MLB	75	76	75
K. Banks	FS	90	52	75
B. Austin	CB	89	55	75
D. Hawthorne	DT	68	90	75
R. Perry	LT	54	93	74
J. Alexis	WR	89	63	74
U. Uzebu	RT	58	91	74
G. Greenwald	TE	76	71	74
M. Williams II	LE	75	81	74
D. Augustin	FS	87	68	74
I. Carter	QB	86	58	73
B. Archie	QB	73	64	73
M. Hurst	CB	90	48	73
H. Todd	MLB	80	72	73
J. Pettway	ROLB	77	87	73
B. Waller	ROLB	80	69	72
J. Pettus	RE	74	77	72
K. Brown	FS	88	62	72
B. Gooden	RE	76	76	71
C. Skinner	LG	50	90	71
T. McCoy	SS	87	74	71
J. Williams	DT	58	90	71
J. Lee	CB	90	62	71
J. Cobbs	WR	86	75	70
J. Smith	WR	98	58	70
T. Byard	SS	87	73	70
J. Bolden	CB	90	62	70
K. Cobb	FS	86	73	70
C. Best	C	57	85	70
A. Kilfoyl	LG	57	86	70
N. Gramatica	K	79	43	70
J. Cannon	K	73	45	70
J. Jenkins	LG	60	84	69
N. Milovac	RT	56	88	69
B. Knox	CB	87	65	69
C. Lamb	HB	89	69	69
S. McMillan	LT	55	87	69
J. Echols	TE	85	67	69
D. Bowie	RG	52	88	69
R. Hill	MLB	85	68	68
R. Lennon	LT	58	85	68
M. Baker	LE	69	85	68
J. Johnson	HB	89	91	68
Z. Hamilton	LOLB	81	72	67
J. Shipp	HB	88	75	67
M. Tate	QB	77	53	67
D. Exume	LE	77	72	67
A. Toney	CB	90	58	66
K. Malone	CB	90	54	66
B. Winton	WR	90	56	66
T. Kelly	WR	85	70	66
A. Mosley	RE	79	67	65
A. Forbes	RG	55	87	65
A. Isaac	HB	92	60	65
C. Exume	RE	74	80	65
J. Porter	WR	89	53	64
C. McKinney	LE	69	84	64
G. Lanning	LT	58	89	62
T. Dubuc	TE	72	68	59

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Miami, FL

Fiery, fatal crash shuts down southbound lanes of Don Shula Expressway in southwest Miami-Dade

Published

9 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Fiery, fatal crash shuts down southbound lanes of Don Shula Expressway in southwest Miami-Dade

Updated on: June 23, 2026 / 7:09 AM EDT
/ CBS Miami

An investigation is underway after a man was killed in a fiery crash with a truck on the Don Shula Expressway in southwest Miami-Dade early Tuesday morning, according to officials.

The Florida Highway Patrol said that a white Mercedes coupe was headed south on SR 847 (Don Shula Expressway), near Southwest 104th Street when it crashed into the back of a truck.

A large fire broke out after the crash, and investigators said that the driver of the Mercedes, who was only identified as an adult Hispanic male, died at the scene.

The fiery crash forced officials to shut down the southbound lanes of the roadway, and drivers were being asked to seek an alternate route.

Heavy delays were reported behind the crash, and delays also started to build in the northbound lanes near the scene.

The southbound lanes have since reopened.

No other information was released.

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Miami, FL

Miami Heat slip behind Boston Celtics in Giannis Antetokounmpo race

Published

19 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

Miami Heat slip behind Boston Celtics in Giannis Antetokounmpo race

The Miami Heat woke up Monday no longer in control of the chase they had led for weeks. With the 2026 NBA Draft set for Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks closing in on a resolution to the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga, Miami suddenly finds itself in a two-team race it is no longer favored to win.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that Antetokounmpo is expected to be moved before the draft, with the Heat and Boston Celtics emerging as the two finalists. The Bucks have narrowed their talks to those clubs, sources told Charania, and are weighing two dramatically different packages for the former two-time MVP.

For a fan base that spent the better part of a month believing Miami was the team to beat, the shift landed hard. The Heat are still in it. They are simply no longer the favorite.

A two-team race with a Tuesday deadline

Milwaukee set the timeline itself. Bucks ownership signaled in May that it wanted Antetokounmpo’s future settled by the start of the draft, and Charania reported Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up” that a trade is expected to land in line with that cutoff.

Charania framed the two bids as opposites. One is built around an established star, the other around youth and draft capital, and he described the negotiations bluntly.

“These conversations have been a blood bath,” Charania said.

He also stressed that whatever happens, it will not balloon into a multi-team construction the way other blockbusters have. Whether the deal closes Monday or Tuesday, Charania said, it is expected to be a one-to-one trade between Milwaukee and one of the two finalists, with no third team folded in. That detail matters for Miami, because it removes one of the lifelines the Heat had been counting on.

Boston changed the math with Jaylen Brown

For most of the buildup, Miami held the perceived edge because the Celtics were reluctant to part with Jaylen Brown. That changed over the weekend. The Stein Line’s Marc Stein reported Monday that Boston emerged “with a real shot” to win the race built around a Brown-centric offer, with Milwaukee willing to consider a swap even without a third team to absorb his contract.

That is the development that flipped the race. Brown is a five-time All-Star and a former NBA Finals MVP coming off the best statistical season of his career, having averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game as Boston’s centerpiece. He is also a bona fide star Milwaukee can plug in immediately, which speaks directly to ownership’s stated preference to get a recognizable face back rather than a stack of prospects.

The money works, too. A Brown-for-Antetokounmpo framework lines up cleanly under the salary cap, and from Milwaukee’s vantage point, flipping one star for another carries better optics than entering a full teardown empty-handed.

Prediction markets moved with the news. Per Kalshi data, Miami’s implied odds slid from the low 60s into the mid-30s on Monday while Boston vaulted toward roughly 70 percent. Those figures shift by the hour and should be read as a temperature check rather than a forecast, but the direction of the swing is the story.

What Miami is putting on the table

Tyler Herro Miami Heat

The Heat’s pitch leans on volume and flexibility rather than star power. Reported frameworks have centered on Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic, with Kasparas Jakucionis and multiple future first-round picks also in the mix, and Miami holds the No. 13 overall pick in Tuesday’s draft.

It is a thoughtful offer for a rebuilding team. It is also, by definition, not a star, and that is the gap Boston is now exploiting.

There is a limit to how far Miami is willing to go. Bam Adebayo is the only player truly untouchable in the Heat’s discussions, and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that the front office does not want to strip the roster and its draft capital down to the studs to get a deal done. That restraint is understandable given the franchise’s history of swinging big and missing, most painfully on Damian Lillard three years ago, but it also means Miami may be unwilling to match a price Boston now appears ready to meet.

The case for the Heat to lose this race

There is a real argument, voiced by some of the league’s most prominent analysts, that Miami should be careful what it wishes for. Zach Lowe and Bill Simmons both cautioned against the Heat gutting their young core for an aging star, with Lowe warning that the long-term cost could hollow out the roster.

“The concerns I think are very real for Miami,” Lowe said.

The basketball context behind that caution is hard to ignore. Antetokounmpo is 31 and coming off the most injury-plagued season of his career, appearing in just 36 games amid groin, calf and knee issues while the Bucks finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs, snapping a run of nine straight postseason appearances.

He still produced when available, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, but his looming free agency in 2027 is depressing his trade value across the league. For a Heat team that went 43-39 and has been hunting a co-star for Adebayo since dealing Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, the math of trading a future for a 31-year-old’s prime window is genuinely fraught.

What happens next

The next 24 hours should decide it. Milwaukee has telegraphed the draft as its internal deadline, and the expectation is a resolution before Tuesday night, though multiple insiders have noted the saga could still spill into free agency if the Bucks decide their leverage is better served by waiting.

For Miami, the stakes are stark. Landing Antetokounmpo would end years of frustrated superstar pursuits and reset the franchise’s ceiling overnight. Losing him to Boston, again on the doorstep of a deal, would sting in a way Heat fans know all too well. Either outcome arrives soon, and for the first time in this chase, the Heat are watching it unfold without holding the best hand.

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Miami, FL

Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz shutting down permanently, sources say

Published

1 day ago

June 22, 2026

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Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz shutting down permanently, sources say

Companies hired by the state to operate Alligator Alcatraz were notified Monday morning to begin “full demobilization” of the facility, quietly bringing an ignominious close a $1.2 billion experiment that had once been hailed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump as a model other states should pursue, four sources familiar with the operations of the detention center told CBS News Miami.

“All vendors got the notice,” one source explained.

(L/R) US President President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tour a migrant detention center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on July 1, 2025. President Trump is visiting a migrant detention center in a reptile-infested Florida swamp dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Trump will attend the opening of the 5,000-bed facility — located at an abandoned airfield in the Everglades wetlands — part of his expansion of deportations of undocumented migrants, his spokeswoman said.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

The final few detainees left the facility last week, either being transferred to other detention centers or deported to third countries.

Federal and state officials at the time said it was due to safety concerns over the start of hurricane season.

They even suggested the facility would remain ready to take on new detainees.

Florida Immigration Detention Center — FILE – President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla.

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Evan Vucci / AP

In fact, officials familiar with the plan told CBS News Miami that it was always the intention to begin full demobilization by taking down fencing and removing trailers and other structures built at the site located in the middle of the Florida Everglades.

That demobilization effort is expected to take several days, and once it is completed, the site will reopen as a small airport used to train pilots.

Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz.

CBS News Miami
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The decision to close the facility has been speculated for the past two months, with even DeSantis saying he expected it to close soon.

“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said earlier this month during a press conference.

The decision to close Alligator Alcatraz was due primarily to the escalating cost of operating the facility, which was once hailed by President Trump as a model for other states to emulate.

The total cost for the detention is now estimated to be $1.2 billion.

Opened on July 3, 2025, the detention center was the brainchild of DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and built using state tax money.

At the time, DeSantis maintained that the state would be reimbursed by the federal government for all of its expenses.

However, that funding has yet to come through. State officials submitted a $608 million request at the end of last year.

It was eventually approved by federal officials, but the actual reimbursement has been held up because of court challenges, environmental concerns and other issues.

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