From Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples brings you your Voice of the Everglades update:

Last month’s assault on Florida’s state parks was both brazen and bumbling. In just eight days, Gov. Ron DeSantis was forced to do an about-face on stealthy plans to build golf courses, hotels, and other harmful development on environmentally sensitive public lands. 

The retreat signaled a temporary victory for those of us who love wild Florida — and a reminder of the power of speaking out, showing up and working together. Friends of the Everglades was honored to stand in solidarity with so many of you.

Now, we must bring our might to another battle before us: Big Sugar’s rock mine in the Everglades. 

Florida Crystals, Palm Beach Aggregates, and engineering firm Phillips & Jordan are hawking a rock-mining operation on more than 8,000 acres south of Lake Okeechobee in the Everglades Agricultural Area. They’re euphemistically calling it the “Southland Water Resources Project,” but make no mistake — it’s not restoration, it’s exploitation. These three companies are peddling it because it would enrich them, at the expense of the Everglades.

It’s worth noting some common threads that link the state parks fiasco and Big Sugar’s rock mine.

Both ploys are attempts by special interests (and the politicians who do their bidding) to undermine the will of the people.

And both are linked to a dubious state law, House Bill 781, which Gov. DeSantis signed on April 15, 2024. The new law allows government agencies to award no-bid contracts for “unsolicited proposals” for public-private partnerships. If that strikes you as a terrible idea, we’re right there with you. Shortly after the law was enacted, the South Florida Water Management District created procedures to make use of it — and the Southland rock mine was pushed through those channels.

Though Big Sugar and its partners withdrew the application Sept. 3, the companies indicated they would  “continue to move forward with the project” via other avenues.

We’re bracing for a legislative attempt to approve the Big Sugar rock mine, and we will be prepared to fight back if it emerges. It deserves every bit of the outrage the state parks plan garnered. 

This is the kind of watchdog work we’ve been doing since Friends of the Everglades’ founding in 1969. It requires extensive research, legal legwork, and never-ending vigilance. 

It’s an honor to lead these efforts, in service of our mission — and it’s only possible because of your support. If you have donated recently, we thank you. If it’s been a while, I invite you to make a contribution today to support these existential battles for the future of Florida.