Let's renew our declaration of independence from Big Sugar & politicians who FOLD.
#NowOrNeverglades
We know these are stressful, disheartening times throughout our nation and South Florida… but, in the spirit of July 4th, we’d like to renew our declaration of independence from:
Greedy “Big Sugar” corporations and their lobbyists who have been threatening The Everglades and Florida Bay for decades.
Performative, cowardly politicians who proclaim they “cherish the River of Grass” during election season, but FOLD and remain silent (crickets!) when a 5,000-person detention center is built in a matter of days with no oversight and no regard for our fragile ecosystems.
Folks, we must stay in this fight. Several political leaders are stepping up… we will get our day in court thanks to Friends of the Everglades… and, most importantly, Floridians are speaking out against this Everglades prison.
UPDATES:
Almost half of Americans disapprove of Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, new poll shows, The Independent, 7/4/25
… 48 percent of the 2,983 people who responded to the YouGov survey on Thursday said they were not in favor of the facility while just 33 percent said they supported it, with another 18 percent unsure…
DHS Suddenly Pulls Weird 180 on “Alligator Alcatraz” After Trump Visit, The New Republic, 7/3/25
The Department of Homeland Security is suddenly washing its hands of the Everglades ICE detention facility… In a court filing Thursday responding to a lawsuit from environmental groups, the DHS claimed that it had “not implemented, authorized, directed or funded” the construction of the new ICE detention center… “Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority…”
‘What are they hiding?’ Florida lawmakers shut out of Alligator Alcatraz, Miami Herald, 7/4/25
… In a surprising and possibly unlawful act, five state legislators were denied entry Thursday into a taxpayer-funded migrant detention center deep in the Everglades, raising questions about what will happen behind the razor-wire fences that are being erected surrounding the controversial facility…
[Sen. Carlos Guillermo] Smith did not mince words, calling the site a “makeshift immigrant detainment camp in the middle of the Everglades swamp,” built through no-bid contracts awarded to major Republican campaign donors…
… Smith referenced a Miami Herald story that revealed the state may bring pregnant women and children to the site, despite public claims that the facility was intended for “the worst of the worst”…
Lawmakers blast possibility children could be sent to Alligator Alcatraz, Miami Herald, 7/3/25
… The Miami Herald has obtained a draft operational plan for the detention facility for migrants that suggests there is a possibility that minors could be held at the site… “minors shall be separated from unrelated adults at all times during transport and seated in an area near officers and under close supervision”… The records also say “snacks and water shall be given to minors, pregnant females, and as necessary for detainees with medical conditions,” while being transported…
Happy 4th of July… and remember, we are the land of the free because of the brave. — Capt. Steve
#NowOrNeverglades
PS — As some of you may be aware, we’ve been in Punta Allen, Mexico on our annual fly fishing excursion. “Permit” us to share a few fish pictures!
