Everglades Foundation Chief Economist Dr. Paul Hindsley joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the Everglades.
The Everglades functions as a trillion-dollar natural asset that supports businesses, residents and communities throughout South Florida by providing clean water, reducing flood risks and driving industries such as tourism, recreation and real estate.
“The Everglades feeds the South Florida economy,” Hindsley said. “The Everglades is an asset for our people and our businesses.”
The Everglades supplies drinking water, protects communities from drought, flooding and wildfires, and serves as critical natural infrastructure that supports the region’s quality of life.
Hindsley recently authored Thriving Everglades, Thriving Economy, a report estimating the Everglades provides more than $31 billion in economic benefits each year through eight major categories.
The largest contribution comes from real estate, where healthy waterways and waterfront access generate more than $9 billion annually in property value.
“Location, location, location,” Hindsley said. “We know the most straightforward example is what’s the value of a view. Waterfront properties and proximity to water and the quality of that water impacts over $9 billion a year to our real estate.”
Outdoor recreation ranks second, contributing more than $8.5 billion annually through boating, fishing, beaches and wildlife viewing. Hindsley said those activities account for more than 200 million recreation days each year among residents and visitors.
The Everglades also provides more than $8 billion annually in flood protection by reducing damage from heavy rainfall, storm surge and other extreme weather events.
Hindsley said those findings formed the basis of a series of economic roundtables the Everglades Foundation recently held across South Florida, including a stop in Islamorada.
The meetings brought together more than 100 business owners, chamber leaders and community partners to discuss both the environmental and economic importance of Everglades restoration.
“We wanted to explain how Everglades restoration is working and it’s worth it,” Hindsley said.
He said restoration efforts from the Kissimmee River to Florida Bay are already producing measurable environmental improvements while generating an estimated four-to-one return on investment.
During the roundtables, Hindsley said business leaders consistently linked environmental conditions directly to their financial success.
“What struck me most was the understanding that these business leaders already had,” he said. “They could connect local environmental conditions to very specific business outcomes.”
Realtors described how water quality influences property values, while fishing, boating and tourism operators explained how water quality and freshwater flows determine the success of their businesses.
“The common message was remarkably consistent,” Hindsley said. “Clean water is not a side issue for the economy. It’s part of the operating environment in which these businesses depend.”
Monroe County stands apart because of its dependence on tourism and recreation, with more than half of the county’s taxable revenue tied to industries that rely on healthy natural resources.
“The Keys are unique because of the specific connection environmental health has to economic life,” Hindsley said.
The Florida Bay, coral reefs, fishing, diving and boating all depend on maintaining healthy freshwater flows from the Everglades.
If restoration efforts stall, Hindsley warned the consequences could extend well beyond environmental damage.
“When Florida Bay doesn’t receive sufficient fresh water, the salinity can rise, and we get stress in Florida Bay,” he said.
The massive seagrass die-off in Florida Bay in 2015 is an example of what can happen when freshwater flows are disrupted.
“Environmental decline is not outside the economy,” Hindsley said. “It’s a depreciation of the asset the economy depends on.”
The harmful algal blooms and red tide outbreaks of 2018 cost South Florida’s tourism-related industries more than $2.7 billion in lost revenue.
Hindsley said restoration projects, including the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, are designed to capture, treat and move water south through the natural system instead of sending it to the coasts.
“Everglades restoration is really about storing water, treating it, and moving it where we need it,” he said.
Investing in restoration strengthens water security, supports businesses and protects South Florida’s long-term economic future.
“A healthy Everglades is not a competing interest with a strong economy,” Hindsley said. “It’s an asset. Restoring the Everglades is not a cost that we bear for nature. It’s an investment in what makes South Florida’s future stronger.”
Hindsley also praised continued bipartisan support for Everglades restoration, noting Gov. Ron DeSantis included $665 million for Everglades restoration projects in Florida’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget.
“We’re proud that our representatives support this,” Hindsley said. “This has been a bipartisan effort, and we’re happy that we’ve continued to keep this momentum going.”
For more information, click here: https://www.evergladesfoundation.org/