Everglades Defense Fund
The Everglades are under attack, and we’re fighting back. Friends of the Everglades created the Everglades Defense Fund in August 2025 to protect this irreplaceable ecosystem from destructive projects like the mass detention center in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve.
To counter the tremendous resources of our adversaries, this fund fuels our landmark lawsuit against “Alligator Alcatraz” — and ensures we’re ready to take on future threats to the Everglades. Your gift powers the fight to protect the River of Grass, now and for generations to come.
Friends of the Everglades is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your contribution is tax-deductible.
Latest News
We just filed an updated lawsuit to demand accountability at “Alligator Alcatraz”
Government officials must clean up the environmentally damaging mess they made at “Alligator Alcatraz.” To make sure they do, we’re going back to court. Friends of the Everglades and our conservation partners filed an updated lawsuit today presenting new [...]
Groups File Amended Lawsuit Challenging “Alligator Alcatraz
For Immediate Release, August 12,2026 Groups File Amended Lawsuit Challenging “Alligator Alcatraz Florida, Federal Officials Withheld Key Funding Information MIAMI— Conservation groups filed an updated lawsuit today as part of the ongoing legal challenge over the Everglades detention center [...]
Why “Alligator Alcatraz” fell, and what must come next
For 358 days, “Alligator Alcatraz” inflicted grave harm on the Everglades at a staggering cost to taxpayers. The state and feds originally planned to operate the ICE detention center much longer — for 2-3 years, according to public records [...]
Other ways to Give
By Mail:
Send a check with “Everglades Defense Fund” in the memo to:
Friends of the Everglades
3727 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 200
Stuart, FL 34996
By Phone:
Call our offices at 305-669-0858.
Email Development Director Scott Brown for assistance with other methods of giving.
More about our fight
Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969 to stop construction of the Everglades Jetport, protecting a vital stretch of wilderness from destructive development. Today, that same land is under threat again — this time from a massive detention center ominously branded “Alligator Alcatraz.” Friends of the Everglades is leading the fight once more.
On June 27, 2025, Friends of the Everglades and our co-plaintiffs, Center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit against the state and federal government and Miami-Dade County to halt activity at the site so a legally mandated environmental impact analysis can be completed.
Friends of the Everglades’ landmark lawsuit to stop the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility scored a major victory on August 21 when Federal District Judge Kathleen Williams banned the arrival of new detainees and ordered a winding down of operations within 60 days.
Additional details, including a timeline of our legal action, are available at Stop “Alligator Alcatraz”.
Together, we can protect the Everglades for generations to come.