Friends of the Everglades joined the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and thirteen other environmental and civic organizations November 30, 2021, in filing an amicus brief to challenge the development of Rivergrass Village in Collier County. The development is located within the Rural Lands Stewardship Area (RLSA), adopted in 2002 to protect wetlands and listed species habitat, prevent the premature conversion of agricultural lands, and avoid sprawl in eastern Collier County. The Conservancy’s appeal brief focuses on the fact that the trial court declined to hear evidence that Rivergrass Village will cost Collier County taxpayers millions of dollars, will result in widespread worsening of traffic congestion, and fails to comply with the Collier County Land Development Code. Should the lower court’s [...]

During today's Clean Water Conversation, state Representative Anna Eskamani made news. She agreed to file legislation that would repeal the "particle emission" protections language approved last year in Senate Bill 88. This part of the "Right to Farm" bill protects the sugarcane industry from legal action related to the harmful impacts of sugarcane burning, leaving communities south of Lake Okeechobee vulnerable to the many health hazards connected to such burning. We applaud Rep. Eskamani's dedication to shielding residents who are disproportionately impacted by these dangers. And we stand ready to help shine a light on this environmental injustice as well as many other policy challenges elected officials will face in the state legislative session that starts in January. We covered [...]