Miami-Dade County should reject application to expand the Urban Development Boundary
Friends of the Everglades joined Tropical Audubon Society, Everglades Law Center, Audubon Florida, and National Parks Conservation Association in sending a letter to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commission to express our concerns and strong opposition regarding the application to expand the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) to create the South Dade Logistics and Technology District. Three areas of particular concern include: The SDLTD proposal lacks detailed analyses and would create unacceptable risks to wetlands, flood protection, floodplain management and our regional water supply. The promised economic benefits of the SDLTD amendment application are not real and the costs are greatly understated. The proposal is dramatically inconsistent with the Miami-Dade Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) and its long-held planning policies. The [...]
Your moment of Everglades zen: Evan Wexler brings Friends of the Everglades 2021 annual report to life
We know the bad-news reel gets old. It’s good to stop and remember what we’re working so hard to protect. Here’s your dose of Everglades zen. Each year, Friends of the Everglades puts together an annual report to document our accomplishments and support from the previous year. It’s an essential tool for conveying impact and helping supporters understand the value of their contributions. There is one piece of the project that is particularly fulfilling — choosing the images that help bring it to life. Because the Everglades is a remote and wild destination, it isn’t uncommon for supporters to admit to us that they haven’t actually spent a ton of time out there in this unique ecosystem. That’s where images come [...]
VIDEO: “SB 2508 isn’t a water bill — it’s an anti-water bill”
Friends of the Everglades board member Dave Preston called it like it is in today's Clean Water Conversation: "SB 2508 isn't a water bill. It's an anti-water bill." Though it's true that early amendments to the bill carved out some of the original bad provisions, significant threats in the remaining language warrant strong and continued opposition in the days ahead. Gov. DeSantis has until June 30 to sign, veto, or quietly allow this bill to pass without signature, leaving us with a short window of opportunity to advocate for the only acceptable option to support Florida's environment, economy and people: VETO. Big thanks to Dave, Matt Depaolis of Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation and our own policy director Gil Smart for [...]
Celebrate Earth Day with Friends of the Everglades
There are over 90 species of butterflies found in the Everglades, including this one — the Long-tailed Skipper. It’s just one example of the incredible diversity of species in this treasured ecosystem. Friends of the Everglades is dedicated to protecting America’s Everglades and its inhabitants through our policy advocacy, scientific research, and educational outreach. You can invest in the grassroots movement to save the Everglades this Earth Day by contributing $22 on April 22, 2022. Your support will help us stand up for one of the most ecologically biodiverse regions of the world. Give back today to make a positive impact. After all, this planet is home — and it’s the only one we’ve got.
An easy action you can take in honor of Earth Week
It’s #EarthWeek! In honor of the 52nd annual Earth Day this Friday, we’ve got an easy action you can take to protect Florida’s water. If you follow our work closely, perhaps you’ve already asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to Veto SB 2508 — a dangerous bill that has sweeping implications for Floridians and our environment because it preserves the status quo. But we’ve only got a small window of time to stop this bad bill from becoming law, so even if you’ve already sent a message, we still need your help to spread the word. If you haven’t already, please send a letter to Gov. DeSantis right now asking him to VETO SB 2508. If you’ve already done so, please commit [...]
Martin County Commissioners should oppose “Rural Lifestyle” Amendment
Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples delivered the following comments opposing the "Rural Lifestyle" Amendment to Martin County’s comprehensive plan at the Martin County Board of County Commissioners meeting on April 19, 2022. I’m Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, which was founded in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and is now headquartered in Stuart. Our organization, which is dedicated to protecting the Everglades and its connected waterways — including the St. Lucie River — stands with our allies at 1000 Friends of Florida in opposing the proposed “Rural Lifestyles” amendment to Martin County’s comprehensive plan. We thank Commissioners Sarah Heard and Stacey Hetherington for voting against this concerning amendment during its first public hearing [...]
SB 2508 preserves the status quo. DeSantis can still #KilltheBill
Take a look at the image above. It’s emblematic of the status quo that has allowed Lake Okeechobee’s water to be mismanaged in a way that benefits special interests — especially giant sugarcane corporations — while triggering toxic-algae blooms and depriving the Everglades of water. Senate Bill 2508 preserves that status quo. If Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to follow through on his promise to address Florida’s water crisis, he must veto it. Specifically, SB 2508 threatens to: Constrain environmental improvements that could be achieved through the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). Undermine years of work to correct a failing water-management system by perpetuating the harmful “hold and dump” practices of the existing Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS 08). [...]
Friends of the Everglades joins amicus brief opposing tollroad extension through the Everglades
On April 7, 2022, Friends of the Everglades joined an amicus brief in support of an appeal by Tropical Audubon Society to overturn the Florida Cabinet's approval of Miami-Dade County's proposed SR-836 extension. If built, the tollway extension would breach the county’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB) and intrude into a 13-mile stretch of Everglades Wetlands, formally known as the Bird Drive Basin. In 2020, we celebrated an administrative judge’s ruling against the proposed extension highway, which cited threats to wetlands and Everglades restoration and exposed the claimed transportation benefits of the tollway as being unsupported by the evidence. The ruling was a win for Miami-Dade County residents, Everglades restoration, Florida's drinking water supply, and crucial habitat for birds and other wildlife. [...]
Everglades Illustrated: The Scientific Uncertainty of ASR
Photo Credit: South Florida Water Management District The Scientific Uncertainty of ASR Each of the red outlines in the map above indicates a proposed cluster of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) wells. Pitched as an answer to water-storage needs north of Lake Okeechobee, the wells’ feasible use within Everglades restoration and exorbitant cost have been at the center of heated debate in Florida’s environmental community. Proponents claim the technology offers a way to store large volumes of water deep in the aquifer — water that would otherwise pour untreated into Lake Okeechobee. But scientific concerns abound. Some experts say they’re inefficient and won’t have enough capacity to relieve toxic discharges, and they warn that metals dissolved in the [...]