Allie Preston, Author at Friends of the Everglades

BIG WIN: SB 2508 VETOED BY GOV. DESANTIS

This is no small victory! Senate Bill 2508 was easily the worst environmental bill we saw come out of Tallahassee this year — made up of several dangerous provisions that threatened Floridians and our environment by preserving the status quo. We recognized the hazard this bill would pose to fragile wetlands, water management and land preservation across Florida. It had to be stopped. We issued a call to action to help us shut it down, and you did not disappoint. More than 3,500 of you sent urgent messages to Gov. DeSantis requesting a veto of this dangerous legislation.That’s in addition to more than 5,000 messages sent after the bill first emerged in February. Every one of those messages made a [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-08T10:57:57-04:00June 8th, 2022|All Posts, SB 2508|

Your moment of Everglades zen: Introducing our Multimedia Producer, Leah Voss

This month, we welcomed Leah Voss to the Friends of the Everglades team. In the newly created position of Multimedia Producer, Leah will help us bring Everglades issues to life through imagery and videography. Her background as a talented photojournalist and her passion for Florida’s unique environment are palpable in the work she produces, and we’re certain the stories she tells with images will bring a new strength to our mission to preserve, protect and restore the only Everglades in the world. Please join us in welcoming Leah to the team! We invite you to learn a little more about Leah, via her words and images Last week, [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-07T15:18:30-04:00June 6th, 2022|All Posts, Everglades Zen|

One Last Chance to Kill SB 2508

Today, Senate Bill 2508 was transmitted to Gov. DeSantis’ desk. He now has 15 days to do one of three things: sign this anti-water bill into law, veto it, or do nothing — allowing it to pass into law July 1 without his signature. The only environmentally defensible move is a VETO. “SB 2508 is a grab bag of terrible ideas, destined to result in more toxic discharges to Florida's coast and fast-tracking the destruction of crucial wetlands,” Friends of the Everglades policy director Gil Smart said. If passed, SB 2508 will have widespread negative impacts on Floridians and the state’s tourism-based economy by letting utility companies pay to expedite review permits that would destroy wetlands; and preserving status quo [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-02T09:28:24-04:00June 2nd, 2022|Action Alerts, All Posts, SB 2508|

South Dade boondoggle delayed to Sept. 22

Today, we celebrate a win — albeit a temporary one — for Biscayne Bay and the Greater Everglades. Miami-Dade County commissioners voted Wednesday morning to defer an ill-conceived proposal to convert 800 acres of low-lying farmland in Homestead to a giant industrial complex. For the second time in two weeks, developers peddling the South Dade Logistics & Technology District failed to secure enough votes to advance their environmentally irresponsible proposal. At their request, the project will return to the Miami-Dade County Commission for a final decision on Sept. 22. Wednesday’s deferral is a huge credit to almost 1,300 Friends of the Everglades supporters who emailed Miami-Dade County commissioners, along with our allies within the Hold the Line Coalition who have [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-01T13:23:01-04:00June 1st, 2022|All Posts, Everglades Restoration, Hold the Line|

VIDEO: Let’s make this the Last Burn Season

Colin Walkes painted a stark picture for us today, asking each of us to think what it's like to celebrate a wedding in our backyards as plumes of smoke billow in the background and black ash rains down to rest on a loved one's white dress. Though it may seem unimaginable to some, smoke as a backdrop to daily life is a familiar reality for residents of the Glades communities south of Lake Okeechobee that can last up to eight months of each year. Courageous local leaders have inspired a movement for justice to bring an end to sugarcane burning in favor of safer, sustainable, burn-free harvesting. We are grateful to Colin Walkes, Robert Mitchell and Patrick Ferguson for leading [...]

Allie Preston2022-05-26T14:45:03-04:00May 26th, 2022|Action Alerts, Clean Water Conversations, Sugarcane Burning|

The South Dade industrial complex is a litmus test for Miami-Dade commissioners

Today, Miami-Dade County commissioners will cast a final vote on a developers’ proposal to add almost 800 acres of rural land off Florida’s Turnpike to the Urban Development Boundary. Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples traveled to Miami to deliver the following comments in opposition to the industrial complex which threatens valuable green space and Biscayne Bay restoration efforts. Chairman and Commissioners, I’m Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. We were founded in 1969 to fend off a dangerous development that threatened the Everglades ecosystem. Back then, it was the Everglades Jetport. Today, it is the South Dade industrial complex. This vote is a litmus test. The outcome will reflect whether your voiced support [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-01T13:30:32-04:00May 19th, 2022|All Posts, Hold the Line|

Everglades Coalition Asks DeSantis to Veto SB 2508

This week, the Everglades Coalition sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis requesting that he veto SB 2508. Sixty-one organizations make up the coalition devoted to restoration, preservation, and protection of the Greater Everglades. The letter applauds DeSantis's early opposition to the nefarious introduction of SB 2508 and strongly urges him to reject the remaining threats left in the bill, which would preserve the status quo that has led to toxic algae blooms in Florida. This united front from Florida's leading voices in Everglades restoration represents a critical mass of opposition to what has been recognized as one the worst environmental bills to emerge from Tallahassee. Private citizens can add their voice to the fight by clicking here to send DeSantis [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-01T13:30:43-04:00May 13th, 2022|All Posts, SB 2508|

Save the Deep-sea Oculina Coral reefs from trawling

Friends of the Everglades joined 37 organization in signing a letter asking NOAA to oppose the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s proposed Amendment 10 to the Coral, Coral Reefs, and Hard Bottom Fishery Management Plan which would allow shrimp trawlers to destroy the last deep-sea Oculina reefs off Florida. As the letter states, The Oculina Bank off the east coast of central Florida is the only known place in the world where deep-sea Oculina varicosa form reef structures. This one-of-a-kind ecosystem supports marine life throughout the region well beyond the reef itself. A single 12-inch coral can host up to 2,000 animals, including small fish, crabs, shrimp, and mollusks—many of which are food for higher trophic levels. Oculina Bank is [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-01T13:31:02-04:00May 10th, 2022|All Posts, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Wildlife Habitat|

Everglades Illustrated: Stormwater Treatment Areas — Your tax dollars at work

Take a look at the graph above, showing data collected by the South Florida Water Management District and consider the following: There are roughly 60,000 acres of taxpayer-funded stormwater treatment areas (STAs) south of Lake Okeechobee. These man-made wetlands are designed to store and treat water before it reaches the southern Everglades. For each of the last 10 water years depicted above, the yellow portion of the bars represent the volume of water sent to the STAs directly from Lake Okeechobee. The much larger blue portion represents runoff sent to those same STAs by sources including indistrial sugarcane farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area. So what’s the problem? Coastal communities downstream of Lake Okeechobee are familiar with the horror that [...]

Allie Preston2022-05-11T10:03:26-04:00May 10th, 2022|Everglades Illustrated|

Miami-Dade County: Take Action Today to Stop the South Dade Logistics and Tech Center

Miami-Dade County residents: We need your help. The 800-acre South Dade Logistics & Technology District application will come before Miami-Dade County Commissioners for a vote on May 19, 2022. Industrial development is not appropriate on this land, which is designated Coastal High Hazard Area, considered among the least-suitable for development in Miami-Dade. There are a few things you can do to help us take action today: 1. Use the button below to contact your County Commissioners with a pre-formatted letter. Tell them to vote NO on the District 8 Application for the South Dade Logistics and Technology District. 2. Attend the County Commission meeting, Thursday, May 19, at 9 a.m., where the project will receive a final vote. This meeting will [...]

Allie Preston2022-06-01T13:31:19-04:00May 9th, 2022|Action Alerts, Hold the Line|

About Allie Preston