Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the organization.
What is the Everglades restoration plan?
Eikenberg said, “It’s a plan that includes roughly 60 some odd projects across the South Florida Water Management District stretching from north of Lake Okeechobee to both the East Coast and the West Coast, all the way down through the central Everglades and then ultimately down to Florida Bay. So it’s a variety of infrastructure projects. The whole plan that was agreed upon by both Democrats and Republicans 25 years ago, signed by President Clinton, is to re-engineer the way we flow water on the Florida peninsula. The bottom line is it needs to go from Lake Okeechobee south down to Florida Bay, and this comprehensive plan now 25 years young is moving us towards ultimate restoration of this national treasure, and it was needed 25 years ago because the degradation of the Everglades was severe. We had lost almost two thirds of our original Everglades. It was on life support, and thankfully, due to the leadership of many, we were able to get that plan passed by Congress and then signed by the president of the United States 25 years ago.”
What was it that prompted that decision?
Eikenberg said, “I think it was having experiences like the algae crisis that was occurring in Florida Bay in the late 1980s, early 1990s, I mean, the seagrass die off that occurred in the early 90s, along with other environmental calamities that we were seeing north, we were also suffering from high levels of pollution within the Everglades. It brought people together. It was an effort to get all characters, if you will, to the table to develop a plan. It took multiple years and the power of this example, the power of the comprehensive plan, it’s a federal/state partnership. So Jeb Bush, when he was governor, led the effort at the state level, the Congress itself, and it wasn’t just members of Congress like Bob Graham and Clay Shaw from Florida. It was people from around the country that realized that this is a national treasure and it needs to, at the time, be protected, so you had unanimous support. You only had one no vote in the US Senate back in 2000 and then Bill Clinton, the last piece of legislation that President Clinton signed in office on the day before the Supreme Court ruled in the Bush v Gore lawsuit that determined the presidential election that year was this Everglades plan. It’s a testament to coming together as a people, coming together as advocates for this once in a lifetime opportunity, and thankfully, we haven’t screwed it up.”
The resoration plan has evolved a bit over the years.
Eikenberg said, “It has, and it hasn’t been perfect. It has languished, certainly in those early years, and that maybe first decade, the funding was not where it is today. I do look at the last 10 years, we’ve had a shot in the arm here when it comes to Everglades restoration, because of more crises. I think the important takeaway from 2016 and 2018 is we didn’t let those crises go to waste. I think Winston Churchill said, never let a crisis go to waste. The fishing guides, the tourism sector of the Florida Keys, who led back in 2016 the now or never glades campaign, which was the driving force in building a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, right in the middle of all those sugar cane fields. I was out there two days before Thanksgiving to see that construction project. I was astounded by the level of activity, construction activity on those 10,000 acres. That project is coming out of the ground as we speak. By 2029 and the comprehensive plan when Clinton signed it was going to be a 30, 33, year journey. By 2029 we’re pretty confident that we’re going to be able to see the progress that we’ve all been waiting for, certainly these 25 years.”
What restorations projects have been completed and which are underway?
Eikenberg said, “The comprehensive plan, again, has a number of features, but when you look at specific reservoirs, above ground reservoirs, there’s three that are in the works or have been completed. You have a you have a reservoir along the St Lucie River on the east coast of Florida that is now storing water from that local area, as well as taking lake water so that you’re not just dumping it down the St Lucie. There’s a wetland feature there to make sure that the phosphorus and nitrogen is removed from the water. So you’re delivering clean water to the St Lucie River and then ultimately out to the ocean. On the west coast, you have what’s called the C43 reservoir. The C43 reservoir on the west coast along the Caloosahatchee estuary, that’s another critical reservoir that has been completed. And then the one south of the lake in the middle of the EAA, the Everglades Agricultural Area, that’s going to deliver 120 billion gallons of water annually through the central Everglades under the bridges along Tamiami Trail. And the beauty of all of this is the beneficiary of a completed restoration plan for the Everglades is Florida Bay and the economy of the Florida Keys. So listeners need to remain engaged with their elected officials, both at the federal and state level. We need to cross that goal line here in the coming years and ultimately pass it on to the next generation.”
What makes the Everglades so vital to Florida’s economy?
Eikenberg said, “It’s our water supply. It is the drinking water for nearly 9 million people, including all residents and visitors in the Florida Keys. So that alone is a tremendous economic value, and it’s a plan that’s protecting real estate investments from both coasts and all counties in between. So our real estate market is critically linked to clean water. We saw the damaging impact that it had on the real estate community when you had all that toxic algae being dumped east and west, so from real estate to drinking water to fishing and boating and other outdoor recreation, all those sectors tie into the tourism industry here in the state. We had 143 million tourists come to Florida last year, and they’re not all visiting amusement parks. They’re coming to explore our waterways, our Everglades and that is an economic engine, a trillion dollar asset. By getting these restoration projects, you’re only enhancing that economic engine for future years.”
If the restoration job isn’t finished, a lot of that could be at risk.
Eikenberg said, “And shame on us, shame on this generation who was handed a opportunity to take a plan, fight for funding, build coalitions, ensure that political will and a sense of urgency is front and center. That’s there now. I want to give credit to Governor DeSantis, who came into office in 2029 and immediately prioritized Everglades restoration. The first act was to clean house at the South Florida Water Management District, and that was a turning point. So we have the momentum this generation is getting it done, the elected officials, federal, state, local, we’re all moving in the same direction. It’s not perfect. I don’t want to seem too Pollyanna here, but it is happening, and we just have to keep our foot on the pedal and let this generation hand it off. I have young kids. Others have young kids and grandchildren. We need to pass this Everglades off to the next generation, and then it’s perpetual protection, because there will always be threats. What gives me confidence and allows me to be enthusiastic about where we are is just the sheer amount of people that are pulling for this to happen. They want to be part of it. They want to lend their voice to this effort. They want to make sure, as business owners or residents or raising children, they want to ensure that they are part of something bigger than themselves, and we’re seeing it from Fort Myers to Stuart to Islamorada and all points in between. This is a movement. This is an opportunity to continue that effort. And I’m just heartened every single day as I have the fortune of leading the Everglades Foundation to know that we’re not doing it alone. We’re standing side by side with thousands upon thousands of Floridians, and we’re getting it done. And to me, what a great gift here during the Christmas season to have this type of support.”
Where are we headed?
Eikenberg said, “Know that it has worked. Restoration is worth it and it’s working. The proof is in the pudding. We’re seeing the results, a variety of metrics that you can look at to see that when you get the water flowing in the right direction, nature returns. So that’s a very positive but listen, we have to continue to be vigilant. So the legislature starts in January. Congress is trying to figure out its budgetary processes, but we need continued strong investment from the White House to the Congress, the governor’s mansion and the legislature. So people need to continue to press and push our elected officials to annually allocate the dollars to finish these type of reservoir projects. Again, we’re looking at about $2.6 billion still needed before 2029 to get that crown jewel south of Okeechobee ultimately built. So we’re in a good spot, but we don’t take it for granted. We have an election next year. We’re going to have a new governor, we’re gonna have a new legislature, and we need to make sure that we don’t lower the bar, we don’t we don’t back away from this. We have to just lean in even harder. It’s going to take people listening to my voice this morning, but also across our state. I’m so pleased that the business community and realtors and fishing guides and boat captains are all on this journey with us. I’m pleased at where we sit here in December of 2025.”
For more information, click here: https://www.evergladesfoundation.org