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Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Meet the folks who live near ‘Alligator Alcatraz' and call the Everglades home
Scott and Conny Randolph live on a wild piece of land they call paradise. They're comforted by the hoots of owls and snorts of pig frogs. They look up at night to a sky full of glittering stars. And when they get up in the morning, they look out the window to greet their neighbor, a six-foot-long alligator named Big Momma. Anyone who listens to the Randolphs, who live on the property of the Clyde Butcher Big Cypress Gallery, will get an earful on how beautiful, magical and serene the Big Cypress National Preserve is. But those who listen to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who proposed building Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention center smack dab in the middle of sprawling Everglades marsh, may get a different picture. 'You don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. No where to go, no where to hide,' he said in a video posted on X. This otherwise quiet section of the Everglades has drawn national attention and controversy to the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a landing strip north of Tamiami Trail where Uthmeier and Gov. Ron DeSantis have fast-tracked the construction of what they have dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' For days, trucks have hauled in supplies and tools for the site to be operational, officials say, by July. Folks who live and work in Big Cypress, a federally protected section of the vast Florida Everglades, are pushing back on outsiders' misconceptions of their beloved swamp. It is not totally inhospitable to human life — just ask the Seminoles and Miccosukees. The invasive Burmese pythons, though numerous, are actually kind of hard to find, they say. The folks out here find alligators to be pretty chill — so long as you don't get too close to Big Momma's nest. 'In 14 years, I've never come across a Burmese python on these 13 acres. But I'll tell you what I have come across: bears, bobcats, alligators, wood storks,' Scott Randolph said as he pointed out his nature photography at the gallery. 'It's this beautiful system that, seriously, is such a rarity.' And while Big Cypress is definitely backwoods compared to densely populated downtown Miami, hundreds of people live off this stretch of Tamiami Trail, depending on the time of year. Campers hang out on Loop Road. Staff live on site at Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher's gallery. Airboat tour attractions and gift shops dot the highway. Notably, there are also about 20 Miccosukee villages along the Trail. 'To hear how it's described by people who never grew up here, who who aren't from here, as a wasteland. This abandoned, barren land. 'Nobody is out here,'' said Betty Osceola, a Miccosukee tribal member and activist. 'I'm like, 'What about me?' I'm somebody.' The proposal and quick turn around has outraged residents on several fronts, including immigration, environmental protections and Indigenous rights. Those against the facility, who plan on demonstrating on Saturday, argue the $450 million facility undermines the billions of dollars spent on restoring the Everglades and jeopardizes a fragile ecosystem. DeSantis, eager to support President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts, says the facility is necessary and environmentally benign. 'It'll have zero impact on the Everglades,' he said on Fox News. Live, laugh, love mosquitoes Still dressed in his mosquito net jacket, John Kalafarski unfurled laminated maps of the Everglades in the parking lot outside acclaimed nature photographer Clyde Butcher's gallery. He likes to show people how vast the swamp was before development. True nature lovers like Kalafarski thrive in the Everglades. He lived on Loop Road in the preserve for 10 years in the '90s. Now, the Naples resident guides tourists on swamp walks and pulls out snail shells from his backpack to show kids. Many years ago, he said, a couple of journalists came by working on a story about why people live out here. 'You won't understand until I take you on a swamp walk,' he told them. When asked about Alligator Alcatraz, he shook his head solemnly. The gallery , which displays and sells 82-year-old Butcher's black-and-white images and offers guided swamp walks, is less than 10 miles away from the soon-to-be detention site. The Randolphs, who've been married for 37 years, have lived in the cottage behind the gallery for the last 14 years. Scott Randolph, a resident artist at the gallery, takes striking color images of his surroundings. Big Momma the alligator is one of his muses, as are curious bobcats and the serene landscape. He pointed to one image he took of the night sky. The Milky Way was clear as day. When he took the photo, all he could hear was the sound of insects. In fact, the Randolphs love the nature so much, they share one hot take few South Floridians can relate to — they don't mind the mosquitoes. 'I'm happy to see mosquitoes! They're healthy mosquitoes, and they benefit so much to nature. It's a small price to pay to live out here,' Scott Randolph said. '[Mosquitoes] let me know the environment is trying to work. If you have little stuff, you're gonna have big stuff.' They learn to cope with the extreme heat as well. In the winter, Conny Randolph said, she doesn't sweat. But in the summer, she needs to change her clothes several times a day. 'It's harsh, but it's totally, utterly, completely worth it,' she said. By working at the gallery and providing swamp tours, staff member Trish Elser said she wants to spread awareness of the Everglades' beauty and why it needs to be protected. She hoped one particular visitor got that message. A contractor for Alligator Alcatraz stopped by the gallery this week, she said. He was struck by the beauty, she said. 'I'm glad we were able to show him love and what we love about the Everglades,' Elser said. Growing up on Miccosukee land Betty Osceola was among the last generation of Miccosukee to live entirely off the land. Growing up in Big Cypress, nearly all the food her family ate came from their environment, she said. As a girl, Osceola and her siblings ran outside into the swamp barefoot. She has fond memories swimming in rivers while one kid kept an eye out for alligators passing by. As the seasons changed, her mother would remind her when panthers and bears were roaming around. The tribal kids were free to play outside all day, she said, so long as they were back home before sundown. 'We were barefoot going out into the swamps that everybody is so afraid of,' Osceola said. 'That was our playground.' Life out there is tranquil, she said, or at least it was before the cacophony of trucks bringing in supplies for the detention site. The sudden influx of people raises safety concerns, Osceola said. But her primary concern is for nature. How are the trees? The ibis? The endangered panthers that live nearby? While state officials portray alligators as built-in security guards, Osceola said her favorite animal is nothing of the sort. 'I was kind of offended on the alligator's behalf with the way they talk about them,' she said. 'I don't think the alligator wants its name attached to the word Alcatraz.' The Miccosukee have always been in the Everglades and found refuge there during the Seminole Wars, said Chairman Talbert Cypress. Tribal ceremonial grounds and villages are 'very close' to the proposed facility, he said. (Osceola told the Herald she knows a family who's home is less than half a mile away.) 'We have a very close knit community. Everybody knows each other,' Cypress said. 'Even the Gladesmen that live out there, they have family history out there and we have family history with them. We've stuck together through many challenges over the hundreds of thousands of years that we've been there.' Gladesmen is a term for non-natives who have lived, hunted and fished in the Glades for decades. Cypress said the Miccosukee Business Council's priority is to protect the Everglades and advocate for the Miccosukee and Seminole community. As buses bring in and out people, supplies and waste to the facility, Cypress said increased traffic on the two-lane Tamiami Trail will be a major issue. 'It's just a huge burden for the state to take on, and the federal government as well. I don't quite think they understand the scope of how much it's going to cost,' Cypress said. 'God forbid anything emergency-wise happens.' Locals have been keeping a close eye on the construction progress, making their presence known as they watch trucks pull in and out. Garrett Stuart, 41, an environmental scientist of Lakota descent, stood outside the facility just three miles away from where he lives with the Miccosukee. He formed a close bond with Osceola, who adopted him as a nephew. Stuart criticized DeSantis for, as he put it, flip-flopping on his stance of protecting the Everglades when he first ran for governor. And he scoffed at the idea that there's nowhere for detainees to go if they escape. They'd be more likely to run into a Miccosukee camp than into an alligator's mouth, he said. 'It's almost kind of comical that the government thinks that, if you put them out here in the Everglades, there's nowhere to hide,' Stuart said. 'The Seminole and the Miccosukee tribes were the only undefeated tribes in the United States. How did they stay undefeated? They used the Everglades to hide and make war in.' Originally from Kansas, Stuart moved to South Florida about 15 years ago to work in coral reef restoration. But, 'my heart kept leading me back to the Everglades,' he said. 'It's always just felt like a home for me.' Life here is slow and peaceful, unlike in the city, he said. He can still see stars and fireflies at night. The heat doesn't bother him, and the mosquitoes don't bite him. Stuart has been coming to the facility each day, not to protest but to pray. He sits with his drum, shuts his eyes and prays for the government to change its mind and hopes 'that nature can forgive us.' A bird flying above Stuart squawked and he smiled. 'The osprey is talking to us now,' he said. 'I'm praying for everything.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How is Eddie Murphy now related to Martin Lawrence?
Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are now related. The two actors are delighted that Eddie's son Eric Murphy, 35, and Martin's daughter Jasmin Lawrence, 29, "ran off and got married" at a "church" a couple of weeks ago, following their engagement in November 2024. Eddie - who starred in the 1999 Universal comedy-thriller 'Life' with Martin - spilled on their decision to elope to Jennifer Hudson, 43, on her eponymous talk show, saying: "They got married, like, two weeks ago. "They went off ... everybody was making the big wedding plans, and then they decided they wanted to do something quiet with just the two of them. And then they got married." As Eric and Jasmin opted for a low-key affair, the 'Shrek' star - who has Eric with his former girlfriend Paulette McNeely, who he dated in the 1980s - joked that Martin no longer has to stump up a lot of cash to pay for a lavish wedding for his daughter. He joked: "Yeah, we're in-laws. And he doesn't have to pay for that big wedding now. "They went off and got married at the church. They just had the two of them and the preacher. They had a quiet, little thing. "Some people have like a big party, or something, but they ran off and got married." The 'Big Momma' star - who has Jasmin with his 54-year-old ex-wife Patricia Southall - previously revealed that he was expected to pay for Eric and Jasmin's wedding because Eddie covered the costs of his children's "last six weddings". Appearing on iHeartRadio's 'Big Boy's Neighborhood' in December 2024, Martin said: "Eddie said I gotta pay for it. "He said I gotta pay for it, 'cause he paid for his last daughter's wedding — like the last six weddings — but he said it's my turn now." Eddie's 1985 song 'Party All the Time' was the lead single on his first album 'How Could It Be', and it spent three weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. However, the 'Beverly Hills Cop' actor insisted he will not be singing if Eric and Jasmin - who began dating in 2021 - have a second wedding that will see the smitten couple say "I do" in front of family and friends or a celebratory party. But, he did not rule out on performing a "duet" with Martin. After Jennifer teased the idea of Eddie picking up a microphone and performing, the dad-of-10 said: "No, I'm not singing! Martin will sing at the wedding. Do a duet. Yeah, maybe."
Daily Mirror
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eddie Murphy's son marries Martin Lawrence's daughter as couple elope
Former co-stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are now in-laws. It's been announced that the actors' respective children Eric Murphy and Jasmin Lawrence have quietly got married, six months on from their engagement last year. The two actors are delighted that Eddie's son Eric Murphy, 35, and Martin's daughter Jasmin Lawrence, 29, "ran off and got married" at a "church" a couple of weeks ago, following their engagement in November 2024. Eddie - who starred in the 1999 Universal comedy-thriller 'Life' with Martin - spilled on their decision to elope to Jennifer Hudson, 43, on her eponymous talk show, saying: "They got married, like, two weeks ago. They went off ... everybody was making the big wedding plans, and then they decided they wanted to do something quiet with just the two of them. And then they got married." As Eric and Jasmin opted for a low-key affair, the Shrek star - who has Eric with his former girlfriend Paulette McNeely, who he dated in the 1980s - joked that Martin no longer has to stump up a lot of cash to pay for a lavish wedding for his daughter. He joked: "Yeah, we're in-laws. And he doesn't have to pay for that big wedding now. They went off and got married at the church. They just had the two of them and the preacher. They had a quiet, little thing. Some people have like a big party, or something, but they ran off and got married." The 'Big Momma' star - who has Jasmin with his 54-year-old ex-wife Patricia Southall - previously revealed that he was expected to pay for Eric and Jasmin's wedding because Eddie covered the costs of his children's "last six weddings". Appearing on iHeartRadio's 'Big Boy's Neighborhood' in December 2024, Martin said: "Eddie said I gotta pay for it. He said I gotta pay for it, 'cause he paid for his last daughter's wedding — like the last six weddings — but he said it's my turn now." Eddie's 1985 song 'Party All the Time' was the lead single on his first album 'How Could It Be', and it spent three weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. However, the 'Beverly Hills Cop' actor insisted he will not be singing if Eric and Jasmin - who began dating in 2021 - have a second wedding that will see the smitten couple say "I do" in front of family and friends or a celebratory party. But, he did not rule out on performing a "duet" with Martin. After Jennifer teased the idea of Eddie picking up a microphone and performing, the dad-of-10 said: "No, I'm not singing! Martin will sing at the wedding. Do a duet. Yeah, maybe." Martin spoke about Jasmin and Eric on the Jennifer Hudson Show himself this week. He said: "He's a great young man." Asked who is more protective, himself or Eddie, he said: "I think we probably both are protective. We want the best for our children, but we let them do their own thing and make their choices."
Perth Now
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
How is Eddie Murphy now related to Martin Lawrence?
Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are now related. The two actors are delighted that Eddie's son Eric Murphy, 35, and Martin's daughter Jasmin Lawrence, 29, "ran off and got married" at a "church" a couple of weeks ago, following their engagement in November 2024. Eddie - who starred in the 1999 Universal comedy-thriller 'Life' with Martin - spilled on their decision to elope to Jennifer Hudson, 43, on her eponymous talk show, saying: "They got married, like, two weeks ago. "They went off ... everybody was making the big wedding plans, and then they decided they wanted to do something quiet with just the two of them. And then they got married." As Eric and Jasmin opted for a low-key affair, the 'Shrek' star - who has Eric with his former girlfriend Paulette McNeely, who he dated in the 1980s - joked that Martin no longer has to stump up a lot of cash to pay for a lavish wedding for his daughter. He joked: "Yeah, we're in-laws. And he doesn't have to pay for that big wedding now. "They went off and got married at the church. They just had the two of them and the preacher. They had a quiet, little thing. "Some people have like a big party, or something, but they ran off and got married." The 'Big Momma' star - who has Jasmin with his 54-year-old ex-wife Patricia Southall - previously revealed that he was expected to pay for Eric and Jasmin's wedding because Eddie covered the costs of his children's "last six weddings". Appearing on iHeartRadio's 'Big Boy's Neighborhood' in December 2024, Martin said: "Eddie said I gotta pay for it. "He said I gotta pay for it, 'cause he paid for his last daughter's wedding — like the last six weddings — but he said it's my turn now." Eddie's 1985 song 'Party All the Time' was the lead single on his first album 'How Could It Be', and it spent three weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. However, the 'Beverly Hills Cop' actor insisted he will not be singing if Eric and Jasmin - who began dating in 2021 - have a second wedding that will see the smitten couple say "I do" in front of family and friends or a celebratory party. But, he did not rule out on performing a "duet" with Martin. After Jennifer teased the idea of Eddie picking up a microphone and performing, the dad-of-10 said: "No, I'm not singing! Martin will sing at the wedding. Do a duet. Yeah, maybe."
The Province
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Province
'Big Momma' humpback returns to Salish Sea with eighth known calf
New baby humpback is first to be spotted in 2025 season Big Momma and her new calf. The mother recently returned to local waters with a new calf, her eighth. They were spotted May 21, 2025, in Haro Strait near Sidney. Photo by Sam Stutz / Eagle Wing Tours No one knows exactly why humpback BCY0324, better known as Big Momma, decided to pivot right one day in 1997, rather than continuing north up the west coast of Vancouver Island for summer feeding. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Maybe a giant swarm of krill caught her attention, maybe it was a huge school of baby herring. Whatever the reason, she was one of the first humpbacks sighted in inland waters, off Victoria, since the early 1900s, the executive director of Pacific Whale Watch Association, said. On Wednesday, May 21 she was spotted again, this time with her newest calf in tow. 'She's been returning ever since 1997, and now has at least eight calves, seven grandcalves, and four great-grandcalves,' said Erin Gless, Anacortes-based executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. 'She's widely beloved for playing a key role in the recovery of local humpbacks. 'We're always eager to see who the first calf of the season will be and we're always anxious waiting for Big Momma's return. This year we got to celebrate both happy occasions at once!' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Big Momma's 2025 calf breaches in Haro Strait. Photo by Katie Read / SpringTide Whale & Wildlife Tour Big Momma and her calf were spotted Wednesday in Haro Strait, northeast of Sidney Island, followed by several more sightings the next day. The calf, Gless estimates, is four or five months old, and stayed close to mom through every sighting. 'This is actually very, very early in the season, that's why it's kind of a big deal that this is the first baby (spotted), they'll be coming in all through the summer and they'll stay, usually, through October and November.' Pacific Ocean humpbacks spend their cold months in warmer climes, where they mate and the females give birth, then head north as far as Alaska, and south as far as Antarctica to raise their calves and feed. Adult humpbacks weigh up to 40 tonnes and grow to 18 metres long, with tails as wide as 5.5 metres, and they migrate as far as any mammal on the planet — Hawaii to Victoria is almost 5,000 kilometres one way and takes five to six weeks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Brett Soberg first saw Big Momma in 2003, off Vancouver Island's Sheringham Point and also with a calf. 'That was the first humpback I'd ever seen,' Soberg, who co-owns Eagle Wing and Wildlife Tours in Victoria, said. 'I've been in this industry since '97, so that was an exciting day for me.' When the passengers on his tours see Big Momma, he said, they are awed but also inspired to learn that each humpback has a unique personality, its own feeding technique, and feelings. 'Personally, the emotional connection and the power of the emotional connection is offering details about the individual animal as an individual, a unique personality, unique set of skills,' he said. 'When you share that, people are, I think, kind of flabbergasted a little bit. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They don't realize the complexity of the personality of these animals, they all have personalities. That's the beautiful thing.' Big Momma, he says, looks healthy, happy and well fed. 'She's delightful, just one of those animals that has a really nice disposition and personality, and she is a fantastic mom, so she she's found a really good humpback-whale rhythm.' But more than that, she's been one of the keys to Pacific humpbacks increasing their population since commercial whaling was banned in 1967. It's estimated the humpback population in the Pacific fell to below 1,000 by the time whaling was outlawed. And, of course, none had visited the Salish Sea in decades before that. Today, Gless said there are probably about 25,000 humpbacks in the North Pacific, with about 400 or so coming to the Salish Sea to feed each summer and fall. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Big Momma is a perfect example of how important a single whale can be to a population,' she said, pointing to the 19 calves, grandcalves and great-grandcalves of hers. There's no way of knowing how old Big Momma is, but humpbacks can live to be 80 or 90, and females do not undergo menopause so there may be many more of the whale's descendants yet to come. It's a perilous journey from Hawaii, especially with a newborn calf, Gless said: Big Momma has to swim slowly so her calf can keep up, and manoeuvre around fishing gear and commercial shipping traffic. 'And they do have a natural predator so they're trying to dodge orcas on the way, too,' Gless said.'We're thrilled that she's back every year. 'Waiting for her, we get really anxious, so it's a weight off our shoulders when she gets spotted again.' gordmcintyre@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Local News Vancouver Canucks Local News Local News
