Blog - Page 10 of 63 - Friends of the Everglades

Judge Halts Operations at Everglades Detention Center With Preliminary Injunction

For Immediate Release, August 21, 2025 Judge Halts Operations at Everglades Detention Center With Preliminary Injunction MIAMI— A federal judge today ordered the state of Florida and the Trump administration to halt construction, stop bringing new detainees, and begin winding down operations at the mass detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The preliminary injunction, requested by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe, marks a major victory for Florida’s imperiled wildlife and fragile ecosystems which are threatened by the detention center. In an 82-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams cited extensive evidence demonstrating harm to the Everglades caused by operation of the facility, which was built without [...]

Allie Preston2025-08-21T23:10:29-04:00August 21st, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Press Releases|

Inside our fight against “Alligator Alcatraz”

https://youtu.be/pvuxRcdxecI?si=6iEw8F79K36Ev0Og This month has been one for the Everglades history books. During four days of hearings at the federal courthouse in downtown Miami, Friends of the Everglades and our allies made a strong case against the environmental catastrophe that political actors have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” We heard from a Florida panther expert who testified about the loss of 2,000 acres of habitat for this endangered species, due to stadium-style lighting and intense activity at the detention center. Another witness, soil scientist and wetland expert Dr. Christopher McVoy, testified on at least 20 acres of new pavement at the site — and debunked the government’s claims that the pavement was applied to pre-existing concrete. Two staff leaders for the Miccosukee [...]

Allie Preston2025-08-19T07:35:28-04:00August 19th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Voice of the Everglades|

Our fight against Alligator Alcatraz reaches beyond the Everglades

Pivotal environmental battles often center on a single, cherished place. For us, that place is the Everglades — and today, one of our country’s bedrock environmental laws is being put to the test in its very heart. Last Sunday’s New York Times featured a must-read story that illustrates why Friends of the Everglades and our allies filed a federal lawsuit over “Alligator Alcatraz,” the massive migrant detention center in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve. In 1969, Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades to stop a massive airport from being built on this very land. That victory helped usher in one of the nation’s cornerstone environmental laws: the National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA was a turning [...]

Allie Preston2025-08-12T08:07:54-04:00August 12th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz|

Construction temporarily halted at “Alligator Alcatraz”

Today marked an important milestone in our legal battle to halt environmental harm caused by a mass detention center in the heart of the Everglades. Judge Kathleen Williams granted a 14-day temporary restraining order requested by Friends of the Everglades and our partners. That means new construction — including filling, paving, installation of new infrastructure and lighting — must stop immediately at “Alligator Alcatraz.” The judge’s decision followed two days of testimony from experts who detailed harm posed by industrial lighting and at least 20 acres of new pavement built on the site, among other impacts to the land and water within Big Cypress National Preserve. “We’re pleased that the judge saw the urgent need to put a pause [...]

Leah Voss2025-08-07T18:45:24-04:00August 7th, 2025|All Posts, Alligator Alcatraz|

What’s next in our fight to stop “Alligator Alcatraz”?

Over the past month, more than 40,000 of you stood up for the Everglades — sending emails to Gov. DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier, demanding a stop to the detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” that the state and federal government have ramrodded into the heart of the Everglades. That kind of response is powerful. And it’s proof that we’re not alone in believing this one-of-a-kind ecosystem deserves better. Our legal battle continues, and we’ve had a meaningful development. On July 30, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Willams granted the Miccosukee Tribe’s request to intervene in our lawsuit to halt environmental harm at the detention center site. We welcome the perspective of the Tribe, which is on the front lines [...]

Allie Preston2025-08-04T15:45:47-04:00August 5th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz|

From journalist to environmental leader: Eve Samples in the spotlight

Big things are happening at Friends of the Everglades. Under the leadership of our executive director Eve Samples, we’ve been growing fast — and fighting harder than ever to protect Florida’s wild places. Eve, a Miami native and former journalist (just like our founder Marjory Stoneman Douglas), recently sat down with Miami Today to talk about what fuels our work — and why being a “nuisance where it counts” is exactly what this moment calls for. Read The Full Story Here!

Allie Preston2025-08-01T12:13:06-04:00August 1st, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

New legal filing over Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and national parks law

On July 11, Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity warned government agencies in a legal filing today that they’re breaking the law by failing to protect the Big Cypress National Preserve from the increasingly destructive effects of the mass detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The notice of intent to sue details federal and state failures to protect wetlands, endangered wildlife and ecological resources. These legal violations are in addition to others the groups documented in their June 27 lawsuit. “This mass detention center was ramrodded into the middle of our country’s oldest national preserve with no public input, no environmental analysis — and no regard for the billions of dollars invested in Everglades restoration,” said Eve [...]

Allie Preston2025-07-11T12:56:26-04:00July 11th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements|

A detention center now scars the Everglades. We won’t let it stand

In the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve — where Florida panthers roam and the stars once shone undisturbed — a mass detention center is being built at breakneck speed, to the detriment of the Everglades.We’re fighting hard to stop it.Friends of the Everglades and our partners at the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in federal court on June 27, seeking an injunction to stop construction of the ominously branded “Alligator Alcatraz” so that environmental impacts can be examined as the law requires. Photos of the site show harm is already occurring to this critical ecosystem, facts we documented in our July 3 response to the defendants, which include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Florida [...]

Allie Preston2025-07-07T20:24:31-04:00July 8th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements|

The State Park Preservation Act is officially law

It’s official: The State Park Preservation Act which was signed into law on May 22 has officially been enacted as of July 1 — a major win for Florida’s public lands and the people who cherish them. This moment didn’t happen overnight. It began in August 2024, when Floridians rose up together in response to a stealthy proposal that would have allowed harmful development in nine of Florida’s beloved state parks. What followed was an extraordinary show of bipartisan public pressure — fueled by grassroots advocates, environmental organizations and people like you who demanded better protections for the places we all treasure. The new law ensures that no similar sneak attacks on our state parks can happen again. It [...]

Allie Preston2025-06-27T15:48:02-04:00July 1st, 2025|Florida Legislative Tracker, Florida Legislature, Save Florida's State Parks|

Friends of the Everglades and allies file lawsuit to protect the Everglades from reckless “Alligator Alcatraz”

On June 27, 2025, Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade County regarding a reckless plan for a massive detention center in the heart of the Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Friends of the Everglades is represented by Earthjustice and attorneys Scott Hiaasen and Paul Schwiep. As the lawsuit points out, the plan has gone through no environmental review as required under federal law, and the public has had no opportunity to comment. Despite that, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has plowed ahead with developing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport — a site that [...]

Allie Preston2025-06-27T12:19:11-04:00June 27th, 2025|Alligator Alcatraz, Friends of the Everglades Statements|