Allie Preston, Author at Friends of the Everglades

Friends of the Everglades 2025 Impact Report

This was a historic year for Friends of the Everglades. We stood in the national spotlight as we waged a formidable battle against the reckless detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” that threatened the very land that inspired our founding fifty-six years ago. We were well-equipped to respond to meet that moment with strength. In recent years, we’ve revitalized the organization that Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded — sharpening our focus, deepening our scientific expertise, forging alliances, expanding our reach and bolstering our voice as a trusted source on issues across the Greater Everglades ecosystem. The battle in Big Cypress is our origin story. In 1969, developers tried to build the largest jetport in the world on this stretch of [...]

Allie Preston2025-11-13T12:06:31-05:00November 14th, 2025|All Posts, Impact Report|

“Alligator Alcatraz” status update: 127 days of America’s worst idea

127 DAYS OF AMERICA'S WORST IDEA The latest on our lawsuit Click the image to review the latest and help us spread the word on Facebook. “Alligator Alcatraz” is STILL open, in defiance of the National Environmental Policy Act, which we filed suit under in June. We’re still working to shut it down. What’s the status? Evidence of harm to the Everglades convinced a federal judge in Miami to issue a preliminary injunction on Aug. 21 that halted new construction, banned the arrival of new detainees and ordered a winding down of operations within 60 days. So why is it open? Two weeks after the injunction, an appeals court paused the injunction, citing the state and [...]

Allie Preston2025-11-06T09:41:37-05:00November 6th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz|

Alligator Alcatraz should be closed by now

This should have been the week “Alligator Alcatraz” shut down. Two months ago, a federal judge in Miami halted construction at the makeshift immigration prison and prohibited new detainees from arriving, citing evidence of harm to the Everglades — including to the endangered Florida panther, fragile wetlands and the Miccosukee Tribe. The court ordered removal of high-intensity lights and fencing, and a winding down of activity within 60 days. That would have been Monday. Instead, two weeks after the injunction, an appeals court in Atlanta paused the lower court’s order, saying the state didn’t have to complete a federally required environmental impact study because the state had not applied for or received federal money for Alligator Alcatraz. But, actually, [...]

Allie Preston2025-10-22T16:15:16-04:00October 23rd, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Voice of the Everglades|

Friends of the Everglades State Legislative Priorities: 2026

About Friends of the Everglades:Friends of the Everglades was founded in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a driving force behind the creation of Everglades National Park and author of The Everglades: River of Grass. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving the only Everglades in the world, we have identified the following priorities for the 2026 session of the Florida Legislature.2026 State Legislative Priorities:JUMP TO:Rescue the River of GrassProtect WetlandsTake bold steps to improve water qualitySmarter, controlled developmentStop sugarcane burning1. Rescue the River of Grass:Acquiring more land will mean a healthier Everglades and a stronger Florida. To ensure a sustainable future for Florida’s economy, environment and public health, the state must acquire additional land in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) [...]

Allie Preston2025-10-16T17:13:47-04:00October 15th, 2025|All Posts, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature|

Will you champion the Everglades this Give Miami Day?

Thank you for committing your time to our Give Miami Day efforts! Below you'll find step-by-step instructions for setting up your Champions page. Having trouble registering to be a Friends of the Everglades Champion? Contact scott.brown@everglades.org with questions!

Allie Preston2025-10-13T14:51:47-04:00October 15th, 2025|All Posts|

We just filed another lawsuit to uncover “Alligator Alcatraz” secrets

“Alligator Alcatraz” was planned in secret. Built in secret. Operated in secret. Now, Friends of the Everglades is taking action to uncover the truth. On October 14, we filed a new lawsuit against the state of Florida to obtain public records and shine a light on the agencies and decision-makers behind this secretive project that has caused irreparable harm to the Everglades. Why this matters: A federal lawsuit filed on June 27 by Friends of the Everglades, Center for Biological Diversity and joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians aims to halt activity at the site so an environmental impact analysis can be completed, as mandated by federal law. Contrary to evidence presented during a four-day hearing in August, [...]

Allie Preston2025-10-14T12:57:32-04:00October 14th, 2025|All Posts, Alligator Alcatraz|

Friends of the Everglades files suit to get public records on Everglades detention center

For Immediate Release, October 14, 2025 Friends of the Everglades files suit to get public records on Everglades detention center TALLAHASSEE - Friends of the Everglades filed suit today against the Florida Division of Emergency Management because the agency is spending millions of taxpayer dollars on a mass immigration detention center in the Everglades without disclosing financial arrangements with the federal government. The failure to disclose those records violates Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Act, which requires agencies to make official records available to the public. Friends of the Everglades, represented in this matter by Earthjustice and attorney Paul Schwiep of the Coffey Burlington law firm, has been requesting public records under Fla. Stat. Ch. 119 since June 24, 2025, about the [...]

Allie Preston2025-10-14T12:54:17-04:00October 14th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Press Releases|

Clyde Butcher: The Everglades is worth saving

https://youtu.be/kcv9rhXyoY4?si=Lfgauo2f2W_jCFSN Clyde Butcher deeply understands the wild solitude of the Everglades. Those who don’t know the system as intimately have recently described it with fear — an uninhabitable, desolate mess, dangerous and suitable for a prison. But the iconic Everglades photographer, known for his sweeping black-and-white landscapes, knows better. He speaks with reverence of rare alligator encounters in a thriving, complex ecosystem kept in delicate balance by water — a lifesource that sustains the southern half of Florida. The detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” stands in sharp contrast to the beloved wilderness Clyde has spent 40 years documenting. Erected unceremoniously by the state of Florida at the federal government’s behest, the camp was built with no regard for [...]

Allie Preston2025-09-29T10:53:18-04:00September 30th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Rescue the River of Grass|

Friends of the Everglades joins coalition opposing SB 180

Communities across Florida are raising concerns about Senate Bill 180 and its harmful impacts. Last week, Friends of the Everglades joined 37 other conservation, civic and local advocacy groups in signing a joint letter urging the Legislature to repeal the most damaging provisions of the law during the 2026 Session. Sections 18 and 28 of SB 180 would freeze local governments’ ability to adopt land-use policies after disasters like hurricanes and stall planning efforts statewide for years. These measures threaten local growth management, open the door to costly legal battles and put water, wildlife and public safety at risk. Together with a broad coalition of Floridians, we are calling on lawmakers to protect communities, natural resources, and quality of [...]

Allie Preston2025-09-25T15:02:28-04:00September 25th, 2025|Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature|

Legal roadblocks stall Southland rock mine, but the fight isn’t over

The Southland rock mine is in a holding pattern. We’re keeping a close eye on it. The project to mine limestone on 8,600 acres in the Everglades Agricultural Area — on land owned by U.S. Sugar and Okeelanta Corp./Florida Crystals — faces a new hurdle. Our friends at Tropical Audubon Society have filed a legal challenge to block the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from issuing an environmental resource permit that would allow blasting to begin. Phillips & Jordan — the contractor ramrodding the project through the approval process — was due to file an updated plan with the South Florida Water Management District in late August. SFWMD is the government body that will decide if Southland gets the green [...]

Allie Preston2026-10-19T16:31:22-04:00September 16th, 2025|Southland Rock Mine|

About Allie Preston