Environmental Groups File Lawsuit to Protect Everglades from Detention Center Development
In a new development Friday, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to block the construction of the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center.
The lawsuit names the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Miami-Dade County as defendants. Friends of the Everglades is represented by Earthjustice and attorneys Scott Hiaasen and Paul Schwiep.
The groups allege that the plan has proceeded without the required environmental review under federal law and that the public has been denied the opportunity to comment.
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Despite this, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has continued with developing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located approximately two hours west of Miami and one hour east of Naples, with the aim of detaining up to 5,000 individuals.
“The site is more than 96% wetlands, surrounded by Big Cypress National Preserve, and is habitat for the endangered Florida panther and other iconic species,” said Eve Samples, Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades. “This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect.” Samples highlighted the historical significance of the site, noting that Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969 to prevent harmful development in the very same area.
Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, echoed these concerns. “This massive detention center will blight one of the most iconic ecosystems in the world,” Bennett stated. “This reckless attack on the Everglades — the lifeblood of Florida — risks polluting sensitive waters and turning more endangered Florida panthers into roadkill. It makes no sense to build what’s essentially a new development in the Everglades for any reason, but this reason is particularly despicable.”
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The Everglades, recognized as the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere and a significant breeding ground for wading birds, was designated an endangered UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.
“This plan has had none of the environmental review that’s required by federal law,” said Tania Galloni, Managing Attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice. “Cruelty aside, it defies common sense to put a mass of people, vehicles, and development in one of the most significant wetlands in the world. That’s why we’re going to court.”
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