DeSantis labeled environmental concerns as illegitimate, claiming that construction occurred over already developed facilities, like the tarmac and taxiway, of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, and that any waste would be removed. Aerial photographs from Friends of the Everglades, one of the groups suing federal and state officials, taken Saturday show land where grass has been removed and recently paved-over areas.
everglades
Environmental Groups Sue in Federal Court to Stop Everglades Stockade for Migrants
Environmental groups Friday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction and operation of a detention center for undocumented immigrants that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying it threatens ecologically sensitive areas and species in the surrounding Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit, filed by the group Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, alleges that federal and state agencies have violated laws that, in part, require evaluating potential environmental impacts before such a project can move forward.
$100 Million Will Raise 91-Year-Old Tamiami Trail, Easing Everglades Flow
Environmentalists say the Tamiami Trail, or U.S. 41, has dammed the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to Florida Bay.
Growers Defend Annual Burning of Sugarcane Fields as Environmentalists Prepare to Sue
The burns, regulated by the Florida Forest Service, are intended to make it easier for harvest machines to cut down and collect the stalks, but they emit pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde.
Federal Bureaucracy Is the Monster Killing the Florida Everglades
Federal regulations keep water from flowing south into Everglades National Park, where it could save a freshwater-dependent ecosystem dying of thirst, argues Nancy Smith.
Big Sugar Turns to Mass Development, Potentially Affecting Everglades Restoreation Efforts
Environmental groups around the state are alarmed at U.S. Sugar’s plans to change its business model and potentially develop huge tracts of land it owns in South Florida, which might affect Everglades restoration efforts.
Fracking in South Florida? Environmentalists Steamed Over Texas Company Drilling Near Lake Tafford
The Dan A. Hughes Company used an unapproved method of drilling that had never been used before in Florida to extract oil from a well near Lake Trafford. Florida’s DEP has not been entirely forthcoming.
Burnishing Green Creds Ahead of Election, Gov. Scott Wants To Give Everglades a Lift
Gov. Rick Scott is proposing $90 million to help lift a section of the Tamiami Trail, which groups such as the Everglades Foundation have called “one of the most prominent dams” blocking the natural flow of the River of Grass.
For Environmental Issues at the Legislature, a Less Than Devastating 2012
Despite being overshadowed by insurance, redistricting and higher education issues, to name a few, environmental groups say they had better session than last, with both legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Scott both being more amendable to their input.
