Blog - Friends of the Everglades

Reform the U.S. Farm Bill — End the sugar program

Reform the U.S. Farm Bill — End the sugar program A small network of private sugar companies has rigged the federal Farm Bill to secure enormous government handouts at the expense of consumers and taxpayers — to the detriment of clean air and water in Florida. By imposing controls on production and greatly restricting imports, the cost of the sugar program in the U.S. Farm Bill is shifted to American consumers in the form of much higher prices than on the world market. Windfall profits generated by the program are then used by the industry to buy influence in the form of lobbying and campaign contributions. This rigged system safeguards policies that protect Big Sugar at the [...]

Allie Preston2023-06-01T15:54:14-04:00June 1st, 2023|Action Alerts, Action Alerts, All Posts, Bad Bill Alert, Florida Legislative Tracker, SB 540|

Introducing the $10,000 Karen Mashburn Environmental Scholars Program

Third and fourth grade students from Royal Palm Elementary School stay engaged in a presentation about Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Young Friends of the Everglades on June 1, 2023, in Miami. Friends of the Everglades is pleased to announce the Karen Mashburn Environmental Scholars Program scholarship and internship. One undergraduate or graduate recipient will be awarded $10,000 and participate in a 12-week Fall 2023 internship at Friends of the Everglades in Stuart, Florida, for approximately 15 hours per week. As the intern helps to support the Young Friends of the Everglades program and engage in community outreach, they will develop a wide range of skills including communications and instructional skills and gain an understanding of governance and guidelines in [...]

Allie Preston2023-06-01T13:10:53-04:00June 1st, 2023|Young Friends of the Everglades|

Spotlight On: How the U.S. Farm Bill contributes to toxic algae in Florida

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmfsR-k3SA8 Here’s how sugar supports in the U.S. Farm Bill create toxic algae blooms Big Sugar has a very sweet deal. U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals — which grow hundreds of thousands of acres of sugarcane in Florida — have long profited from federal protections in the Farm Bill, which is reauthorized by Congress every five years. The current Farm Bill expires September 30, 2023. Protectionist policies dating back to the 1930s benefit the industry through low-interest loans, price supports and import quotas, all designed to keep the price of sugar in the United States higher than it is on the global market. This cost, paid for by American consumers and taxpayers, creates windfall profits the industry then uses [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-30T11:48:20-04:00May 30th, 2023|Farm Bill, Florida Legislative Tracker, Spotlight On, Sugarcane Burning, Toxic Algae|

DeSantis just signed “Sprawl Bill” 540 into law

This afternoon, Gov. DeSantis signed into law the worst environmental bill passed by the Florida Legislature during the 2023 session. Senate Bill 540, which will take effect July 1, is a death knell for smart growth in Florida. It will effectively end citizen challenges to comprehensive plan amendments by sadling those who challenge an amendment and lose with the other side’s legal fees — including developers’ attorney fees if they join the case. Signing SB 540 into law defies the spirit of DeSantis’ own Executive Order 23-06, which called for protecting the long-term planning process that safeguards sustainable growth in Florida. And it will embolden developers to propose more environmentally perilous projects. Friends of the Everglades did not stand [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-24T16:52:13-04:00May 24th, 2023|All Posts, Bad Bill Alert, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature, SB 540, Smarter Controlled Development|

VIDEO: Is the Florida Legislature really doing the people’s work in Tallahassee?

https://www.youtube.com/live/VkKWZJcSTqY?feature=share There was a lot to unpack from this legislative session that ended on May 5, and not a whole lot of it was good news for Florida’s fragile environment. Today’s Friends of the Everglades LIVE focused on what went down and the ways you can still help us kill some of the worst bills that came out of this “Session of Sprawl.” As our Executive Director Eve Samples put it, “Our future as a state is at stake. We are on the front lines of climate change, we’re implementing the most complex and expensive ecosystem restoration effort on the planet in Everglades restoration, and we are not doing ourselves any favors if we allow more reckless development to [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-16T14:31:38-04:00May 16th, 2023|All Posts, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature, Friends of the Everglades LIVE|

Friends of the Everglades 2023 Post-Session Report

As we feared, the 2023 Legislative Session turned out to be the “Session of Sprawl,” as Florida lawmakers advanced legislation that facilitates inappropriate, environmentally damaging development proposals. Lawmakers passed several bills disempowering citizens, handcuffing local governments, and making it easier for reckless development to sprawl across the landscape: In line with our 2023 Legislative Priorities, we offer the following update and analysis on key bills: The worst bill of the session, Senate Bill 540, will, if signed into law, require citizens who challenge a local comprehensive plan amendment and lose to pay legal fees incurred by the “prevailing parties,” which could include deep-pocketed developers. This could end citizen challenges in Florida, paving the way for more reckless development. Friends [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-15T18:20:58-04:00May 16th, 2023|All Posts, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature|

WATCH NOW — Last call: SB 540 VETO requests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9eCeQIy86M From the desk of our Executive Director, Eve Samples, your Voice of the Everglades update: The clock is ticking. Last Thursday, May 9, state lawmakers sent “Sprawl Bill” 540 to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, triggering a 15-day deadline for him to either sign or veto this environmentally reckless bill. If approved, the legislation would be the death knell for responsible growth-management in Florida — putting citizens at huge financial risk if they challenge changes to local comprehensive plans, which are the blueprints for growth in cities and counties. Much is at stake. Florida is the fastest-growing state in the country; it's ground zero for the climate crisis; and it’s undertaking the largest ecosystem restoration effort on [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-15T11:52:27-04:00May 15th, 2023|Action Alerts, Bad Bill Alert, Florida Legislative Tracker, Friends of the Everglades LIVE, SB 540, Smarter Controlled Development, Stopping Sprawl, Voice of the Everglades|

Everglades Illustrated: Seeing Green (and not the good kind)

Dense blue-green algal mats clump up at the gates of Port Mayaca on May 4, 2023, in Martin County. Photo by Leah Voss It shouldn’t be normal that Floridians fear the threat of toxic algae in the summer months, just as we nervously watch for the approach of hurricanes — but recent, repeated history has given us good reason to be wary. Water managers raised the alarm earlier this year, predicting an intense summer algae bloom on Lake Okeechobee due to heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ian that caused the lake to rise, delivering pollution-loaded runoff from the surrounding areas and killing submerged aquatic vegetation. Last week we saw signs that this unfortunate prediction may come to pass, [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-09T10:57:15-04:00May 9th, 2023|Everglades Illustrated, Lake Okeechobee, Toxic Algae|

An open letter from our Board in support of Dr. Tom Van Lent

We’re standing up for scientific integrity in the Everglades Dr. Tom Van Lent is among the most knowledgeable scientists in the world when it comes to America’s Everglades. In recent months we have been proud to work alongside him in his new role as Senior Scientist for Friends of the Everglades, where his expertise informs and sharpens our mission to save this unique ecosystem. Yet this week, on May 10 and 11, Dr. Van Lent faces a hearing on criminal contempt charges brought against him by his former employer, the Everglades Foundation. Because we respect the Everglades Foundation’s history as a nonprofit colleague with decades of experience advocating for protection of the Everglades and South [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-08T16:05:46-04:00May 8th, 2023|Friends of the Everglades Statements|

Protect local fertilizer bans to protect Florida’s water

A clandestine attempt by Florida Legislators to ban rainy season restrictions on fertilizer use threatens to eliminate a key tool for local governments trying to curtail nutrient pollution. Tucked inside an “implementing bill” — which contains directions to implement the state budget — is a measure that would eliminate local governments’ ability to adopt strict fertilizer control ordinances for the next year. While this ban on fertilizer bans would expire after that, it may be followed by legislation designed to make it permanent — a move that would only benefit big fertilizer companies. Nitrogen and phosphorus-rich runoff can have serious impacts for surrounding water quality, and communities throughout Florida have relied upon rainy-season fertilizer restrictions to reduce excess runoff [...]

Allie Preston2023-05-11T13:10:42-04:00May 5th, 2023|All Posts, Bad Bill Alert, Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature|