Water qualilty

Alligator Alcatraz: Setting a dangerous precedent?

February 12, 2026

The Everglades immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is damaging enough in its own right, inflicting untold harms on the site and the greater Everglades ecosystem. But more damaging over the long haul may be the legal precedent being…

DEEP DIVE: 25 years on, CERP is restoring the Everglades. But will it be enough?

February 5, 2026

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is often described as a massive effort to “get the water right.” Unfortunately, CERP isn’t going to “get the water right” right away. On Dec. 11, 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration…

‘Trump Homes’ and why Florida is only going to see more ‘sprawl’

February 3, 2026

Now it all makes sense. As we and others have noted this legislative session, there’s been a huge onslaught of pro-”sprawl” bills, most of which invoke “affordable housing.” That is, if we limit local governments ability to regulate new housing…

Deep Dive: How a changing climate is supercharging this deadly bacteria

December 30, 2025

One day — Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, to be exact — Steve Zelenski was in a boat checking stone crab traps on the Indian River Lagoon just west of the House of Refuge near Stuart. Four days later, the 68-year-old…

Deep Dive: Proposed EPA rule on wetlands would hammer Florida

December 18, 2025

Wetlands — whether massive marshes stretching across South Florida like the Everglades or little bitty bogs tucked away in a subdivision — are vital to the environment. They improve water quality, help prevent and reduce floods, recharge groundwater and store…

Six bills, one agenda: Sen. McClain pushes pro-development blitz

December 11, 2025

Florida Sen. Stan McClain comes off as an affable guy — the type of person you might like to get a beer with. But after seeing the legislation he’s filed ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session, you may want to…

2025 Impact Report: How your support helped VoteWater make a difference

December 2, 2025

It’s been quite a year. It began with the battle over the future of Florida’s state parks and Big Sugar’s proposed rock mine in the Everglades Agricultural Area. It concludes, now, with a new EPA proposal to eliminate crucial wetlands…

Study: Clean water = big money

November 20, 2025

Some people think we clean-water types are in it for the aesthetics. That water ought to be clean like Mother Nature made it, so it can support all sorts of wildlife and other living things. That’s part of it. But…

Offshore drilling: Will Florida be spared?

November 6, 2025

The subject of offshore drilling is once again in the news. According to Politico: The Interior Department has removed the federal waters off the Atlantic coast from President Donald Trump’s upcoming offshore drilling plan after Republicans in the region pressed to…

DEEP DIVE: These chemicals kill toxic algae. But are they safe?

October 30, 2025

Since 2020, when the state authorized the use of “innovative technologies” to combat harmful blue-green algal blooms, the South Florida Water Management District has added chemicals known as algaecides to its toolbox — and to the water. Over the past…

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