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Friend,
The fight against the boondoggle in Big Cypress is one we can’t afford to lose.
An appeals court just breathed new life into the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center — a scar of asphalt and lights in the heart of the Everglades. In a 2-1 decision, the court paused an Aug. 21 preliminary injunction that had halted the arrival of new detainees and ordered a dismantling of the mass detention center within 60 days. The majority opinion was most striking for what it didn’t address: evidence of harm that has already unfolded in the Everglades.
Don’t buy Gov. DeSantis’ claims that this makeshift prison was built on an existing footprint. Experts have documented 20 acres of new asphalt, high-intensity lighting visible from at least 15 miles away, harm to about 2,000 acres of Florida panther habitat, and threats to other threatened and endangered species.
The good news is the battle is far from over.
A new panel of judges will decide the next phase — the appeal filed by the state and federal defendants — and our legal team is ready. We believe the law and the evidence are on our side, and that the preliminary injunction will be upheld on appeal.
As a VoteWater supporter, we know you’re no stranger to the hard-won fights to preserve clean water, healthy ecosystems and the public good. We’ve come this far because of people like you. Now we need your help again.
Donate today to the Everglades Defense Fund and help us hold the line.
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