How many Burmese pythons in south FL? Even the experts don't know

The Florida Weekly has this article by Lindsey Nesmith titled, "Invasion of the exotics": 

     Because of the [Burmese] python’s elusive nature, it’s practically impossible to know how many are established locally or in South Florida. There could be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 in Florida, all the way up to the Alabama and Georgia borders, but the current breeding population probably only extends to Lake Okeechobee, Bartoszek [Conservancy of Southwest Florida staff biologist Ian Bartoszek] said. The ability to escape short-lived freezes has been crucial to the snakes’ survival in South Florida, but it’s difficult to tell whether they have been able to expand their territory any further.
     Utilizing the underground refuges of burrowing mammals might help Burmese pythons expand their range farther to the north than previously thought possible, Mr. Bartoszek said. “If these microhabitats allow them to survive through a freeze event, then the snakes will continue to adapt to their new environment and gain ground.”
     Burmese python sightings in the Everglades extend as far back as the 1980s, but experts at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission think the problem was exacerbated when a breeding facility in Homestead was destroyed in Hurricane Andrew in 1992.