Greetings from Tallahassee, where the Legislature is heading into the final weeks of a high-stakes session — with troublesome environmental legislation still in play. We’re here at the Capitol this week, advocating against two especially concerning bills that threaten to erode what’s left of sound growth-management policies in Florida. 

Our mission at Friends of the Everglades is to preserve, protect and restore the only Everglades in the world — including its connected waterways. That can only happen if we plan wisely for development, taking reasonable precautions to protect wetlands and wildlife. Unfortunately, the bills we’re tracking most closely would grease the skids for developers who propose sprawl that encroaches on Florida’s last remaining green spaces.

The short video message above outline more about these bills, the lawmakers proposing them, and what we’re doing in Tallahassee. 

There’s good news, too. We’ve been successful in beating back the worst environmental bills of the session, HB 1197 and SB 1240, which would have abolished local governments’ ability to regulate water pollution. We thank those of you who took the time to call and email lawmakers on those bills. It made a difference.

Now, we have more work to do.

For the Everglades,
Eve Samples
Executive Director