The future of Everglades restoration depends on one thing above all: acquiring the land we need to send clean water south.
And right now, a dangerous project is reminding us exactly what happens when we fail to protect that land south of Lake Okeechobee.
You may have heard that the Southland rock mine (a mining proposal backed by Big Sugar) wants to blast away 8,600 acres just north of the EAA Reservoir. The proposal offers no verified environmental benefit and has no approved role in Everglades restoration plans.
Despite what sugar’s high-paid lobbyists claim, this is not a water project — it’s a taxpayer-funded rock mine designed to make the already rich even richer.
Plain and simple: This is not the future that Floridians want or need, and it’s a clear example of why our campaign to Rescue the River of Grass is so urgent.
When we don’t secure land for public, science-based restoration, we leave the door open to private, profit-driven projects that degrade the landscape and delay real progress.
The Rescue campaign is about closing that door — and making sure the land in the historic Everglades serves its highest purpose: storing, cleaning, and moving water south.
We can stop bad projects by advancing the right one. And that starts with bold public support.
Together, we can make sure restoration stays focused on what matters: clean water, healthy ecosystems, and a future for the Everglades that’s built to last.
