Everglades Illustrated: Repeal M-CORES to protect Florida panthers

The Everglades is vast, and restoration is complex. We’re breaking it down visually for you.

*Rectangles indicate general study areas

New toll road would cut through vital panther territory

Last week, two South Florida lawmakers filed legislation to kill the construction of three controversial toll roads through rural Florida known as M-CORES.

The proposed “Roads to Ruin,” slated to span hundreds of miles from southern Georgia to Collier County, would carve directly through territory identified as critical for one of Florida’s most iconic and elusive species: the Florida panther.

Panther sightings identified above as orange dots by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission paint a grave picture for the big cats when overlaid with the three study areas being considered for construction. The new toll roads would span the heart of panther territory, cutting across vital roaming terrain and potentially severing access to northern territory necessary to support the species’s expansion.

You can help. The greatest threat to the Florida panther and Floridians is the same: a destroyed environment. It is critical that Gov. DeSantis and lawmakers hear from you. Use the button below to send a letter to Gov. DeSantis and lawmakers urging them to protect the endangered Florida panther by stopping new toll roads.