Florida - The Sunshine State

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/24097710

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On June 27, 2025, Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade County regarding a reckless plan for a massive detention center in the heart of the Everglades, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Friends of the Everglades is represented by Earthjustice and attorneys Scott Hiaasen and Paul Schwiep.

As the lawsuit points out, the plan has gone through no environmental review as required under federal law, and the public has had no opportunity to comment. Despite that, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has plowed ahead with developing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport — a site that is more than 96% wetlands, surrounded by Big Cypress National Preserve, and critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther and other iconic species.

“This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect,” said Eve Samples, Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades. “Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969 to stop harmful development at this very location. Fifty-six years later, the threat has returned — and it poses another existential threat to the Everglades.”

Full Press Release: https://www.everglades.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FOE-Alligator-Alcatraz-Press-Release.pdf

Two environmental groups filed a lawsuit in a South Florida federal court on Friday over the immigration detention center under construction in the Everglades that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

They later filed a motion for expedited relief, seeking entry of a temporary restraining order by July 1.

The environmental groups complain the plan has not gone through any environmental review as required under federal law, and that the public has not had an opportunity to comment.

“The site is more than 96% wetlands, surrounded by the 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. “The scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect.”

Zackery Brandon Barfield opened fire while two elementary school-age children were on board and, separately, while more than a dozen fishermen were aboard boats he operated, prosecutors said.

Tuesday’s decision temporarily stops the bill from moving forward.

The Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice has struck down a proposal to allow guns on college campuses.

The bill (SB 914) sponsored by Brevard Republican Senator Randy Fine, failed to get enough “yes” votes on Tuesday after one Republican rejected the idea.

Florida lawmakers rolled back some of the state’s child labor protections last year. Now, a proposal is advancing in Tallahassee that would strip them completely for those 16 and older.

The rollback would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work full-time, including late nights and days longer than eight-hour even on school nights without required breaks. The proposal would also waive those same protections for 14- and 15-year-olds who are enrolled in home school, virtual education, or those who have already graduated and received a high school diploma.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/58752260

Spent a week in #keywestflorida, #drytortugas, and the middle #floridakeys. Took notes, made 1000 photos and some videos. Summarized in an old-school blog post with links to photo albums: https://jsclarkfl1.blogspot.com/2025/03/no-lofty-peak-nor-fortress-bold.html.