Alligator Alcatraz? (Page 2/3)
blackrams JUN 30, 02:53 PM

quote
Originally posted by cliffw:


Governor DeSantis has ??? made it illegal for protesters to block the road during protests. Warning them that if a car hits them, it's your fault.




I'm thinking we'll have to see how that holds up in court. I personally have no issues with it but, does such a policy give you or I a license to go looking for an opportunity?
Has this been made into law?

Rams
cliffw JUN 30, 10:13 PM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:
I'm thinking we'll have to see how that holds up in court. I personally have no issues with it but, does such a policy give you or I a license to go looking for an opportunity?



Looking for an opportunity ? I would not think so. Blocking a need to get to get to work, the hospital, in an ambulance for a baby delivery, a firetruck on the way to fight a fire or a police officer answering a call.


quote
Originally posted by blackrams:
Has this been made into law?


Rams

Many states have "blocking a highway" laws. Even cities.

[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 06-30-2025).]

blackrams JUL 01, 07:59 PM

quote
Originally posted by cliffw:

Many states have "blocking a highway" laws. Even cities.




Cliff,
I was specifically wondering if FL had made it a law? Just curious.

Rams
82-T/A [At Work] JUL 02, 06:29 PM
I'll add some important context here, as a Floridian. The airport is currently called the "Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport."

This is an airstrip that was built back in the late 1960s when Miami and Fort Lauderdale started to boom (as a result of the advent of air conditioning). It was supposed to be called something like the Dade Jetport or something. The airport was supposed to be massive, and it had been planned to be the largest airport in the world.

All of this was built at a time when people didn't really care about the Everglades, and viewed it as a waste of space. Many Florida governors throughout history had even tried to drain the Everglades, as did the Army Corps of Engineers.

In any case, the cost became too great, and all that was completed was a massive runway (which compares to Miami International's longest runway). They only finished one runway, and a feeder road, with a large completely paved / concrete pad where the terminal was supposed to go. There's also a refueling station, and several smaller administrative buildings. The big airport was never complete, and the runway has been used by both commercial and the military for training flights (take off and landings). Commercially, a lot of smaller planes take off from there for all kinds of things. There's something in the neighborhood of 8-10 flights there per day during the Summer.

Anyone who's protesting the use of the airport for this, it's just based on politics, which I won't get into. There's already power and water, with waste trucks that drive in and out. There is no "construction" occurring there. The buildings that they're going to use for detention are temporary air conditioned tent structures that are being constructed (like you might see at a large concert or something like that). There's a permanent paved road that accesses it right off Tamiami Trail, which goes through the Miccosukee Indian Village.


Florida has all kinds of awesome history with stuff like this... the reason this airport was built out there was to support some kind of massive plane that was being built called the Boeing 2707 or something (some supersonic plane that was supposed to compete with the British and French one). It never came to be... so that's one of the reasons why the airport was never finished.

There's also Miami-Dade DynaJet, which is a jet propulsion research company that built a certain kind of rocket, and also built a huge facility out in the middle of the Everglades. The ruins of that is still there, and there's a rocket silo that the state government has covered up because they're afraid of people falling into it (the rocket is actually still in there too). There's a ton... I mean a ton of other cool things like that... some old military structures, you name it.

Anyway, people are making a big deal about this. All they're doing is building temporary structures on top of a large concrete pad that already exists. It's just convenient because no one would be stupid enough to jump into the Everglades and try to swim... since it's like 10-miles in any direction of swampland. If the alligators and pythons didn't get you, you'd die of mosquitos attacking you (they are so massive... you cannot even imagine). It's also up to 10 feet deep in some places in the everglades, and there's some really scary **** living in those areas... but the rest of it is generally 1-2 feet deep. I know a few people that do python hunting... you sure as **** won't catch me doing that.
82-T/A [At Work] JUL 02, 06:30 PM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:
I was specifically wondering if FL had made it a law? Just curious.

Rams




https://www.flsenate.gov/La...tutes/2012/0316.2045
82-T/A [At Work] JUL 02, 06:35 PM
Also... there's rumors that the Skunk Ape lives near there! Haha...

Canada has Sasquatch, most of the US has Big Foot... and Skunk Ape is the name that Floridians have given to our specific version of Sasquatch.


I'm thinking... it was probably just a really big hairy Italian that liked to travel the continent naked, and scared a lot of people.
blackrams JUL 03, 09:03 AM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:

I'll add some important context here, as a Floridian. The airport is currently called the "Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport."

This is an airstrip that was built back in the late 1960s when Miami and Fort Lauderdale started to boom (as a result of the advent of air conditioning). It was supposed to be called something like the Dade Jetport or something. The airport was supposed to be massive, and it had been planned to be the largest airport in the world.

All of this was built at a time when people didn't really care about the Everglades, and viewed it as a waste of space. Many Florida governors throughout history had even tried to drain the Everglades, as did the Army Corps of Engineers.

In any case, the cost became too great, and all that was completed was a massive runway (which compares to Miami International's longest runway). They only finished one runway, and a feeder road, with a large completely paved / concrete pad where the terminal was supposed to go. There's also a refueling station, and several smaller administrative buildings. The big airport was never complete, and the runway has been used by both commercial and the military for training flights (take off and landings). Commercially, a lot of smaller planes take off from there for all kinds of things. There's something in the neighborhood of 8-10 flights there per day during the Summer.

Anyone who's protesting the use of the airport for this, it's just based on politics, which I won't get into. There's already power and water, with waste trucks that drive in and out. There is no "construction" occurring there. The buildings that they're going to use for detention are temporary air conditioned tent structures that are being constructed (like you might see at a large concert or something like that). There's a permanent paved road that accesses it right off Tamiami Trail, which goes through the Miccosukee Indian Village.


Florida has all kinds of awesome history with stuff like this... the reason this airport was built out there was to support some kind of massive plane that was being built called the Boeing 2707 or something (some supersonic plane that was supposed to compete with the British and French one). It never came to be... so that's one of the reasons why the airport was never finished.

There's also Miami-Dade DynaJet, which is a jet propulsion research company that built a certain kind of rocket, and also built a huge facility out in the middle of the Everglades. The ruins of that is still there, and there's a rocket silo that the state government has covered up because they're afraid of people falling into it (the rocket is actually still in there too). There's a ton... I mean a ton of other cool things like that... some old military structures, you name it.

Anyway, people are making a big deal about this. All they're doing is building temporary structures on top of a large concrete pad that already exists. It's just convenient because no one would be stupid enough to jump into the Everglades and try to swim... since it's like 10-miles in any direction of swampland. If the alligators and pythons didn't get you, you'd die of mosquitos attacking you (they are so massive... you cannot even imagine). It's also up to 10 feet deep in some places in the everglades, and there's some really scary **** living in those areas... but the rest of it is generally 1-2 feet deep. I know a few people that do python hunting... you sure as **** won't catch me doing that.



Thanks for posting this. Interesting and enlightening information.

BTW, I was thinking of taking a trip to FL so you could take me Python hunting. Needing a new hat band. I guess that's not going to happen now.

Rams
MarkS JUL 03, 06:48 PM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:


Florida has all kinds of awesome history with stuff like this... the reason this airport was built out there was to support some kind of massive plane that was being built called the Boeing 2707 or something (some supersonic plane that was supposed to compete with the British and French one). It never came to be... so that's one of the reasons why the airport was never finished.

.



The SST. I remember the debate at the time, I was maybe 14? We were still launching Apollo moon rockets. Kind of a shame but that's the way it goes.

[This message has been edited by MarkS (edited 07-04-2025).]

82-T/A [At Work] JUL 04, 11:40 AM
Any time you want to come down, let me know Blackrams, I'll give you some things to check out and visit!

MarkS, that plane is beautiful... did they actually build a working version? Does it still exist anywhere? ... like in a museum? So sad that Boeing never went forward with it.
MarkS JUL 05, 11:51 AM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:

MarkS, that plane is beautiful... did they actually build a working version? Does it still exist anywhere? ... like in a museum? So sad that Boeing never went forward with it.



I believe it was the feds that shut it down due to cost. Don't know if anything still exists but looks like it had variable swept wings like an F14.....damn!