Allie Preston, Author at Friends of the Everglades

We won’t stop fighting until “Alligator Alcatraz” is officially shut down

Reports say “Alligator Alcatraz” may be closing, but we’re keeping our foot on the gas The end is near for “Alligator Alcatraz.” It can’t come soon enough. Ten months after DeSantis appointee James Uthmeier announced the political stunt as a “low-cost opportunity,” reports confirm that the ICE detention facility’s days are numbered. According to the New York Times, vendors were told that detainees would be moved out by early June, with the facility dismantled in the weeks that follow. As of today, the site is still operating. We will not stop fighting until “Alligator Alcatraz” is officially shut down, all construction is removed, and harm at the site is remediated. Until then, we are continuing full [...]

Allie Preston2026-05-13T15:03:43-04:00May 13th, 2026|All Posts, Alligator Alcatraz|

Alligator Alcatraz Could Shut Down in June

For Immediate Release, May 12,2026 Alligator Alcatraz Could Shut Down in June MIAMI— The massive detention center in the heart of the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is slated to be closed in June, according to reports from vendors at the facility. The facility was hastily constructed last summer and continues to operate illegally in Big Cypress National Preserve. Tuesday’s report comes as Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity are poised to return to court in early June when the court of appeals will return jurisdiction to the trial judge who temporarily paused operations last year. “We won't let up until Alligator Alcatraz is shut down and its harm to the Everglades is completely remediated,” said [...]

Allie Preston2026-05-12T20:28:09-04:00May 12th, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Press Releases|

Everglades groups vow to fight on, despite temporary setback in court of appeal

For Immediate Release, April 21,2026 Everglades groups vow to fight on, despite temporary setback in court of appeal MIAMI— The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the ICE detention center in the heart of the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” can keep operating even though it hasn’t gone through any environmental review. Everglades groups vowed to fight on, despite today’s ruling. The ruling today invalidates the preliminary injunction that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued in August 2025 to prevent environmental harm caused by the facility. Today’s ruling allows legal challenges to continue, including deliberation on the merits of the case. The ruling is a setback for the imperiled wildlife and fragile ecosystems of the Big Cypress National Preserve, including the Florida panthers that frequent [...]

Allie Preston2026-04-21T18:11:44-04:00April 21st, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Press Releases|

Big Sugar’s big lie

Big Sugar wants you to think Everglades restoration is approaching the finish line. The pollution data tell a starkly different story. Last week, after Gov. DeSantis’ dog-and-pony show at the $4 billion Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir, Florida Crystals issued a press release hailing the project as “the final and most important project to restore the southern Everglades.” “We commend the Governor and the Army Corps for this milestone in finalizing Everglades restoration," a Florida Crystals executive said in the press release. (Emphasis mine.) Final? It’s a laughable claim. The EAA Reservoir project is being built on a shrunken-down footprint (just one-fourth of the land needed), with insufficient cleansing marshes — even as pollution from Big Sugar’s fields continues to [...]

Allie Preston2026-04-21T09:44:40-04:00April 21st, 2026|EAA Reservoir, Rescue the River of Grass, Voice of the Everglades|

Friends of the Everglades 2026 Florida Legislature: Pre-session report

Look around you. Does it appear Florida is developing too slowly? Key Legislators in Tallahassee seem to think so, and have introduced more than a dozen bills ahead of the 2026 Legislative session that could permanently change the way Florida grows by making it quicker and easier to obtain permits — perhaps at the expense of environmental oversight — limiting local governments’ ability to enforce its own rules, and cutting the public out of the approval process. On a positive note, efforts are underway to amend last year’s Senate Bill 180, which effectively made it impossible for local communities around Florida to update or amend their growth-regulation rules. But at the same time, other legislative proposals would let development [...]

Allie Preston2026-01-09T11:26:30-05:00January 12th, 2026|Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature|

Florida misled the court — We’re setting the record straight

"Alligator Alcatraz' remains open — but our case against it is very much alive and moving forward. This week, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a new brief with the appeals court, responding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State of Florida’s attempt to overturn a district court order in this case. Our new filing argues that the court should restore an earlier injunction to halt activity at “Alligator Alcatraz", which was built at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT). Our brief explains: To build the facility, Florida applied approximately 800,000 square feet (roughly 20 acres) of new pavement over compacted grassy areas, erected miles of new fencing, installed high-wattage [...]

Allie Preston2026-01-09T08:45:18-05:00January 9th, 2026|Alligator Alcatraz|

Register now for a LIVE 2026 session preview with Friends of the Everglades!

Allie Preston2026-01-06T11:04:10-05:00January 6th, 2026|All Posts, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature, Friends of the Everglades LIVE|

Offshore drilling threatens the Everglades — Our letter to federal leaders

On December 15, 2025, Friends of the Everglades submitted a formal letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management opposing plans to open the Eastern Gulf of America to offshore oil and gas leasing. The letter outlines the serious risks drilling poses to Everglades restoration, coastal ecosystems and the millions of Floridians who depend on them — and urged federal leaders to protect this one-of-a-kind place before irreversible harm is done.

Allie Preston2025-12-16T10:44:26-05:00December 16th, 2025|All Posts, Everglades Restoration, Friends of the Everglades Statements|

The River of Grass is counting on you this Giving Tuesday — and Patagonia’s picking up the fees!

The Everglades is one of the world’s unique wild places. Its wetlands breathe life into Florida’s landscape — home to panthers, wading birds and waters that flow like liquid gold. The health of this ecosystem tells the story of our own environmental future. But the River of Grass is under constant threat. That’s where you come in. This Giving Tuesday, your support directly fuels advocacy, restoration and legal action to protect the Everglades. And there’s never been a better moment to give: Because it believes in our work, Patagonia is covering 100% of the transaction fees on donations made through our Patagonia Action Works profile, meaning your full gift goes straight to safeguarding this iconic wilderness. Together, we can [...]

Allie Preston2025-11-26T15:30:15-05:00December 2nd, 2025|All Posts|

Beyond the EAA Reservoir: Florida must plan the next phase of Everglades restoration

https://www.youtube.com/live/HVlOhhhnqIM?si=emUmXWJ91uiKwQsM&t=2052 WATCH as Friends of the Everglades policy director Gil Smart voices concerns about declaring premature victory regarding the completion of CERP at the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting November 13, 2025. In recent comments to the SFWMD Governing Board, Friends of the Everglades policy director Gil Smart cautioned that completing the EAA Reservoir won’t mark the end of Everglades restoration. Decades of scientific consensus show that roughly a million additional acre-feet of water storage is still needed south of Lake Okeechobee to truly protect the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and deliver enough clean water to the Everglades and Florida Bay. In his comments, Smart urged governing board members to begin planning now for the [...]

Allie Preston2025-11-18T11:40:10-05:00November 18th, 2025|All Posts, EAA Reservoir, Rescue the River of Grass|

About Allie Preston