Monthly Newsletter Archive (original) (raw)
Monthly Newsletter Archiveadmin2026-04-21T09:44:07-04:00
Monthly Voice of the Everglades Newsletter Archive
April 2026 – Big Sugar's big lie
Big Sugar wants us to think Everglades restoration is done so that it can build rock mines south of Lake Okeechobee — rather than restoring the River of Grass for all Floridians. The good news is there's a solution within reach.
March 2026 – "Alligator Alcatraz" spending spree catches up with DeSantis
The Florida Legislature passed a bill (SB 7040) on March 13 that curtails the governor's spending powers by requiring more legislative oversight for the state's Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund.
February 2026 – Three key battlefronts in Tallahassee have our attention
Midway through Florida's legislative session, three key battlefronts have our attention as we make the trip to Tallahassee.
January 2026 – What happens in Tallahassee shapes the Everglades
The trip between Everglades National Park and Tallahassee is 8 hours, yet the decisions lawmakers make in our far-flung Capitol directly impact the future of water, wilderness and wildlife in Florida. That's why the Friends of the Everglades team is locked in as the 60-day session of the state Legislature begins. We're tracking bills, explaining them in simple terms and making it easy for you to take action.
December 2025 – "Be a nuisance where it counts": A year that lived up to the call
2025 was a year of no-compromise action for the Everglades — winning in court, passing protections into law and growing a formidable community that showed up everywhere it counts. Together, we proved that when Friends are a nuisance where it matters, the Everglades wins.
October 2025 – "Alligator Alcatraz" should be closed by now
Construction at the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention site was supposed to wind down this week under a federal injunction meant to protect the Everglades, but an appeals court paused that order — even as new evidence shows the state applied for and received federal funding despite claiming otherwise.
September 2025 – You've helped us defend the Everglades — now we press on
Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples shares a timeline of our legal case aiming to protect the Everglades against the detention center in the heart of Big Cypress ominously nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz". To help us fund the fight, consider donating to the Everglades Defense Fund at everglades.org/everglades-defense-fund.
August 2025 – Inside our fight against "Alligator Alcatraz"
Friends of the Everglades has been fighting to protect a piece of land nestled in the heart of the Everglades since 1969. First, a massive jetport threatened the livelihood of the plants and animals that call this place home. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, along with the first Friends of the Everglades and other allies, put a stop to that threat. The fight played a significant role in creation of a new law — the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — in 1970. Now, an immigration detention center ominously dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" revives the threat and our fight to keep these wetlands safe.
We've filed a lawsuit to force the government to comply with NEPA. Help us fund the fight at everglades.org/everglades-defense-fund.
** CORRECTION: The laws we filed notice of intent to sue over are the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and National Parks Organic Act. The text in the posted timeline on July 11 slide lists these laws incorrectly.**
July 2025 – What's going on with the Everglades detention center? Here's the latest
Florida and the federal government are fast-tracking construction of a massive immigration detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve — without conducting a single environmental study. Friends of the Everglades is fighting back in court alongside key allies, to halt this unlawful project threatening endangered species, tribal lands and the very integrity of the Everglades.
June 2025 – How 'One Big Beautiful Bill would damage the Everglades
Eve Samples lays out the ugly favor that sugar lobbyists slipped into President Trump's "big beautiful bill" — language that would enrich sugar's profits at the risk of Everglades progress.
May 2025 – ALERT: Southland rock mine up for a key vote Thursday
A proposed rock mine in the Everglades Agricultural Area south of Lake Okeechobee spells trouble for the Everglades. This land should be used for Everglades restoration, not to serve private interests. In this monthly address, Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples lays out 3 reasons why the Southland Rock Mine is bad for the Everglades.
April 2025 – A WIN for state parks in Tallahassee
A bill to protect state parks from harmful development was amended to close some gaping loopholes last week in Tallahassee. Watch this video update from our Executive Director Eve Samples to get the details on this win and the steps we need to take now to get this good bill across the finish line!
March 2025 – Everglades under attack: Federal cuts threaten our parks
Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples offers an update on how the DOGE cuts to national parks staff is anything but efficient.
February 2025 – We demand public action of the EAA rock mine
Some of the biggest polluters in the state are pushing to build a rock mine on 8,600 acres south of Lake Okeechobee. It's a concerning project that illuminates a bigger threat: The future of about 400,000 acres of the historic Everglades is in question as Big Sugar explores new ways to harvest profit from land in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Eve Samples voiced concerns about this proposed plan at the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting February 13, 2025.
January 2025 – A rare opportunity to rescue the River of Grass
We have a rare opportunity to save the Everglades. The stars have aligned and now is the moment to acquire and restore land in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Everglades restoration hinges on more water storage and treatment in the EAA. Join the movement at everglades.org/rescue
November 2024 – An Everglades success story, more than a decade in the making
With the completion of the C-139 Flow Equalization Basin, the construction phase of South Florida Water Management District's Restoration Strategies project is complete. This is one of 13 projects now constructed in an $880 million effort to send clean water south and marks a big win for Friends of the Everglades' advocacy.
October 2024 – Milton felt different because it WAS different
As we reflect on the damage left in the wake of Hurricane Milton, we're looking for opportunities to spread kindness and solidarity — now is the time for neighbors, families, friends, and strangers to come together to rebuild what was lost. The road to recovery is never easy, but Florida's strength lies in its people, and together, we will heal and rebuild.
September 2024 – The state parks sneak attack and Big Sugar's rock mine have something in common
On the heels of the Florida state parks sneak attack emerges another bad idea: a rock mine operation in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples addresses a new law passed in Florida that could mean more public-private agreements that endanger Florida's wilderness.
August 2024 – A major Everglades project is failing us
Friends of the Everglades is challenging a proposal to use the A-2 STA, also known as the Everglades Agricultural Area STA, to benefit sugarcane growers instead of Floridians. Executive Director Eve Samples addresses this challenge, why it's important and what Friends of the Everglades is doing about it.
July 2024 – Sacred outdoor spaces are saving us now — and that's a case for saving THEM
This summer, as we face tumult in the news and discord in every social media feed, we're feeling especially grateful for nature. This month, our Friends of the staff got our from behind our computers to appreciate the beauty of the Loxahatchee River with a paddle trip through the Wild and Scenic northwest fork of the freshwater river. We encourage you to take every chance to explore your favorite part of the Greater Everglades ecosystem.
June 2024 – The Environmental Injustice of Sugarcane Burning
Did you know the amount of sugarcane burned in the 2023-2024 burn season equates to 20 times the size of Manhattan? The acreage burned, and its impacts, are examined by Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples. To help us end this harm, sign our Sugar Reform Now petition on everglades.org.
May 2024 – Urgent Call for EPA Action on Toxic Algae
Friends of the Everglades joined Center for Biological Diversity, the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, Florida Wildlife Federation, Calusa Waterkeeper and the City of Stuart in a formal request with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that seeks new, enforceable standards for cyanotoxins under the Clean Water Act. Read More
April 2024 – The Positive Impact of Public Action
As of mid-April, discharges to the St. Lucie River and Caloosahatchee River are paused for the foreseeable future, but a strong hurricane season could change that. Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples recaps where we are and where we're going in 2024 with Lake Okeechobee discharges. Read More