Allie Preston, Author at Friends of the Everglades

We’re taking Rescue the River of Grass Town Halls on the road

The Rescue the River of Grass roadshow starts now. This month, we gathered in Stuart for the very first Rescue the River of Grass Town Hall, and the response made one thing clear — Floridians are rallying around the ultimate solution for the Everglades: Buy the land. Hosted by our Rescue partner Florida Oceanographic Society, the room was filled with people who know firsthand what’s at stake. Together, we reminisced about the years when devastating algae blooms from Lake Okeechobee harmed the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. We acknowledged that the problem has not yet been solved. This was a crowd who understood that protecting Florida’s water, economy and way of life requires more than managing the [...]

Allie Preston2026-08-26T17:39:06-04:00August 27th, 2026|Rescue the River of Grass|

A call to protect Miami-Dade’s most endangered lands

On August 13, 2026, Friends of the Everglades joined a coalition of South Florida conservation organizations urging Miami-Dade County commissioners to restore funding for the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program to $20 million in the FY 2026–27 budget. EEL protects more than 29,000 acres of critical wetlands, pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks and other natural areas that safeguard drinking water, reduce flooding, protect wildlife and strengthen the region’s climate resilience. The coalition warns that EEL funding has fallen dramatically in recent years, putting approved conservation acquisitions and irreplaceable ecosystems at risk. READ THE LETTER IN FULL

Allie Preston2026-08-19T16:01:09-04:00August 19th, 2026|Friends of the Everglades Statements, Hold the Line|

The state and federal government withheld the truth. We’re fighting back.

At Friends of the Everglades, we don’t just protect Florida’s water and wild places. We hold government officials accountable when they fall down on the job. That’s exactly why we’re back in court. Last Wednesday, we filed an updated lawsuit against the state and federal government in our case against “Alligator Alcatraz,” the mass detention camp the government recklessly built in the middle of the Everglades. We detailed how the state and federal defendants withheld key information from the courts last summer — delaying justice, and allowing the Everglades to be harmed for a year. The defendants misled the court by representing that Florida hadn’t applied for federal funding. They used that as an excuse to dodge compliance with the [...]

Allie Preston2026-08-18T11:39:59-04:00August 18th, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz, Voice of the Everglades|

The groundswell to Rescue the River of Grass is growing

https://youtu.be/kG9MYnqDMhs?si=NrE74fJ8XfWNaqoP Last night’s Town Hall with our Rescue the River of Grass partner Florida Oceanographic Society put the stakes and the rewards into perspective. The room was filled with people who shared visceral memories of years when the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon were plagued by devastating algae blooms from Lake Okeechobee. We were reminded of the collective fear that can take hold when the waters supporting our livelihoods and ways of life are threatened, but more than that, we were inspired by our community’s staunch belief in the solutions that exist. Rescue the River of Grass is a community-driven movement encouraging policymakers to prioritize land acquisition in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) for water storage and [...]

Allie Preston2026-08-13T15:29:06-04:00August 13th, 2026|Rescue the River of Grass, St. Lucie Estuary|

We just filed an updated lawsuit to demand accountability at “Alligator Alcatraz”

Government officials must clean up the environmentally damaging mess they made at “Alligator Alcatraz.” To make sure they do, we’re going back to court. Friends of the Everglades and our conservation partners filed an updated lawsuit today presenting new information for U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams to consider as we return to her courtroom in Miami on Friday. The new lawsuit shows that government officials withheld critical information from the court during our legal challenge, proving that Florida applied for federal funding for the detention center and that the project should have undergone federal environmental reviews. This information could have upheld the preliminary injunction granted by Judge Williams in August 2025 that halted the facility from operating. Instead, [...]

Allie Preston2026-08-12T15:30:08-04:00August 12th, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz|

Groups File Amended Lawsuit Challenging “Alligator Alcatraz

For Immediate Release, August 12,2026 Groups File Amended Lawsuit Challenging “Alligator Alcatraz Florida, Federal Officials Withheld Key Funding Information MIAMI— Conservation groups filed an updated lawsuit today as part of the ongoing legal challenge over the Everglades detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve. The amended lawsuit shows that state and federal officials withheld crucial information from a federal appeals court proving that Florida applied for federal funding for the detention center and that the project should have undergone federal environmental reviews. The detention center was built to house people apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Today’s filing comes ahead of a court hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, [...]

Allie Preston2026-08-12T14:33:57-04:00August 12th, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Press Releases|

Dr. Jennifer Rehage: To save Florida Bay, we must restore the flow

https://youtu.be/1rWBCbAMMcI?si=s0fbOOu2QqKJo90E “Florida Bay is chronically starved of freshwater… we’re just one drought away from a major disaster.” — Dr. Jennifer Rehage In the southern reaches of the Everglades, freshwater that slowly winds its way from Lake Okeechobee through marshes, sloughs and wetlands eventually mixes with the sea in the shallow waters of Florida Bay. Nearly the entire bay lies within Everglades National Park, supporting a renowned recreational fishery that contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to South Florida’s economy each year. But this extraordinary ecosystem depends on something that’s been in short supply for generations — clean freshwater. Without enough freshwater, salinity rises, seagrass becomes stressed and the delicate balance that sustains fish, birds and other wildlife begins [...]

Allie Preston2026-07-22T16:14:23-04:00July 23rd, 2026|All Posts, Rescue the River of Grass|

Why “Alligator Alcatraz” fell, and what must come next

For 358 days, “Alligator Alcatraz” inflicted grave harm on the Everglades at a staggering cost to taxpayers. The state and feds originally planned to operate the ICE detention center much longer — for 2-3 years, according to public records we obtained — but they retreated after Friends of the Everglades and our allies fought back. Our pressure worked, both inside the courtroom and outside of it. Here’s why. First, we took swift legal action, filing suit against the state of Florida and federal agencies on June 27, 2025 — before “Alligator Alcatraz” even opened. Scrambling to respond, the defendants tried to dodge their responsibility for complying with the National Environmental Act by claiming they hadn’t applied for or received [...]

Allie Preston2026-07-20T13:49:25-04:00July 21st, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz, Voice of the Everglades|

A fighting chance for the Indian River Lagoon

https://youtu.be/gL150lmeXkc?si=7mgZvsWc76nRYdcT The Indian River Lagoon is a place of extraordinary beauty and abundance. Stretching 156 miles up Florida’s east coast, its depths historically nurtured seagrass meadows, thriving oyster reefs and thousands of marine species, making it one of North America’s most biodiverse estuaries. In its southern reaches, the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon converge, mixing fresh and saltwater. These scenic waterways create an interconnected ecosystem that sustains a way of life, supporting fishing, boating, tourism and local economies that have defined the Treasure Coast for generations. But the future of this remarkable ecosystem is increasingly uncertain. Over 100 years of channelization has altered the natural flow of water across the Greater Everglades. In the St. Lucie River [...]

Allie Preston2026-06-29T16:56:50-04:00June 30th, 2026|All Posts, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature, Rescue the River of Grass, St. Lucie Estuary|

Our pressure worked — but our work is not done at “Alligator Alcatraz”

This week marks one year since state and federal officials rushed to build the detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the heart of the Everglades, ignoring environmental laws and putting one of America’s most treasured landscapes at risk. Today, we have confirmation that the makeshift prison is no longer housing detainees. We welcome this news and are deeply grateful to our legal partners, tribal allies and to all of you who have stood with us in opposition to this assault on our Everglades — but the damage done to this fragile ecosystem cannot be undone overnight. We will not rest until we see sure proof that every temporary and permanent structure is being deconstructed. As Friends of the [...]

Allie Preston2026-06-26T12:49:25-04:00June 26th, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz|

About Allie Preston