Friends of the Everglades

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Stuart, FL
Friends of the Everglades

Preserve, Protect, Restore. Founded in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
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11/03/2026

Heavy rains and historic flooding to communities across Florida this week has left streets, yards and entire neighborhoods underwater, highlighting just how important our natural defenses are.

Wetlands act like nature’s sponges, absorbing and storing excess water. But as more of these critical lands are paved over for development, we lose an important buffer against flooding.

Our wetlands can't vote, but we can. Today is the last day to make your voice heard at the ballot box. The decisions made by our elected leaders shape the future of Florida's water, wetlands and communities.

11/02/2026

"Love alone isn't enough." 🌾

Georgia Evaul farms in Martin County, raises three kids and describes the Everglades in one word: alive.

Farming this land feels like a gift to her, and it teaches her something new every time she's out there. But as she puts it, "love alone isn't enough. It's the advocacy and support that is going to make the difference."

Life is full, so Georgia supports Friends of the Everglades knowing we'll show up for the fight. For her, Marjory's Circle is a way of coming full circle. 💚

Join Georgia in protecting the only Everglades in the world. Become part of Marjory's Circle, our giving program, at the link in bio.

🎥 Produced by our Multimedia Producer

10/29/2026

Don’t let these haunt you past Halloween. Go vote and vote No on 3 on November 3rd. 👻

10/29/2026

Your feed's been flooded with king tide videos. So have streets all along the southeast coast, like those seen here in Miami. 🌊

King tides are the highest tides of the year, when the sun, moon and Earth line up. They hit South Florida every fall, and we're in one of the season's peak windows right now.

Rising seas are making them worse: more frequent, longer lasting and reaching farther inland, even on sunny days. Today's king tides are a preview of tomorrow's everyday high tides.

Add in heavy rainfall and you’ve got water coming from the sea and the sky.

When the water rises, it needs somewhere to go. That's where wetlands come in: they soak up floodwater, recharge groundwater and shelter wildlife. Nearly a third of Florida is wetlands.

But up to 77% of them are at risk as federal protections get stripped away and Congress pushes to fast-track permits to fill in even more.

If we destroy our wetlands, where will the water go? We could be seeing a lot more of this.

Read the latest Everglades Unfiltered at the link in bio.

Photo credits to

10/28/2026

They can’t vote. You can.

Early voting is happening now. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Don’t miss your chance to speak up for the places, water and wildlife counting on us.

10/27/2026

Data centers do not belong in the watershed of the world's most significant wetland restoration effort without a thorough examination of their potential impacts, which include contamination of our water, land, and air; habitat degradation; and threats to our quality of life as Floridians. Decisions made now will determine the future of Everglades. We stood today to urge local leaders to protect the Greater Everglades watershed… And they listened.

No Rock Airports, No Rock Mines, No Prisons… and No Data Centers

10/22/2026

Two more panther deaths bring the 2026 total to 14. A 9-month-old female was rescued on September 20 with injuries consistent with a vehicle strike on County Line Road in Collier County. Despite treatment and rehabilitation, she was humanely euthanized on October 7 due to complications from her injuries. On October 15, the remains of a 4-month-old female were found on CR 833 in Hendry County. The suspected cause is a vehicle collision.

The Greater Everglades ecosystem is the only place left with a breeding population of Florida panthers, and our iconic panther needs every available acre of habitat. That’s why we continue to fight for accountability at "Alligator Alcatraz." The jetport site it was built on sits in prime panther habitat in Big Cypress National Preserve. We’re determined to make sure harmful development never happens here again.

Every acre matters.

10/21/2026

Many have insisted that the paved parking lot beside the runway at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport has always been there. It has not.

The runway dates to the late 1960s, when it was built for a proposed jetport in Big Cypress. That project was halted in 1970 after public opposition. Our founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, established Friends of the Everglades in 1969 to help stop it. Protecting this exact stretch of land is our origin story.

Historical satellite imagery shows the land south of the runway undeveloped through November 2007. The parking lot first appears in imagery from December 2025, after the state hastily built "Alligator Alcatraz" in June of 2025 without any environmental review.

This site sits inside Big Cypress National Preserve. Our lawsuit is advancing in federal court as we continue to fight for an independent site assessment, a prohibition on incompatible development and a mandatory environmental review. The Everglades deserves to be restored and protected in perpetuity.

Don’t believe us? You can check the imagery yourself. Search "Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport" in Google Earth and open Historical Imagery.

Imagery: Google Earth

10/21/2026

The “Alligator Alcatraz” signs are down. The 1,200-space parking lot in the heart of the Everglades is not. Here’s what remains.

Address

Stuart, FL

Telephone

+13056690858

Website

https://www.everglades.org/donate/

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