No Other Everglades in the World

Her words are so powerful that Pedro Ramos, superintendent of the Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks in Florida, opened and closed his message with them: “There are no other Everglades in the World."

Those words are attributed to the late Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the journalist, author, women’s suffrage advocate, and conservationist known for her staunch defense of the Everglades. Stoneman Douglas, daughter of the first publisher of the Miami Herald, Frank Stoneman, wrote the landmark book The Everglades: River of Grass in 1947. Stoneman Douglas, who lived to 108, played a pivotal role in establishing and preserving Everglades National Park.

The project carries a hefty price tag.

"It was $50 million,” said Allison Gant, chief of communications and public affairs for Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Park. "We weren't doing a whole lot to advertise that. And it's for the whole site. I mean, it is what it is, right? It was not just the building. It's the entire site. We raised the elevation of the whole site so that there won't be flooding, because why build a parking lot and then have it flood? We expanded the marina and reinforced the marina, the boat basin. And we redid the canoe and kayak launch ramp and put in a building over there for the concession operations for the canoe and kayak rentals. We've got great storage downstairs. Upstairs, we'll have the visitor center area. It's a small space as far as visitor centers go, but it's ample. And the idea is the view out to the resource. And we've got offices for our interpretive and law enforcement staff to be here. We've got two stories, but everything of value really is up on the second level. It's made of reinforced concrete. It's built to withstand storm surges and hurricane force winds. It has a lot of the features that make it appropriate to be a building on the coast and last a long time."

Kate MacGregor, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, was the key speaker at the ribbon cutting.

“It's such an honor to be here today and join you in Everglades National Park to celebrate the reopening and redevelopment of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center,” MacGregor said. "This is an extraordinary moment for the Park Service, for the community, and for everyone who cares about today and the future of the Everglades. This project reflects a clear and consistent priority of President Donald Trump and Secretary Doug Burgum and former secretaries who you’ve spoken to in restoring our nation’s beautiful spaces, strengthening our national parks, and investing in resilient and beautiful infrastructure that will stand for generations and make our people proud. Under President Trump’s leadership, we have directed historic levels of funding to restoration and revitalization across the Everglades. Today’s ribbon cutting is a testament to that commitment.”

MacGregor has twice held the position of deputy secretary during President Trump’s first and second terms. She recalls visiting the Everglades after Hurricane Irma in 2017.

“The first thing you're thinking is ‘How the heck am I going to get this rebuilt?’ How am I going to get the visitors back into the Everglades?'” said MacGregor. “Literally months later, with the help of our senators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump, we signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which at the time dedicated over $200 million to the Department of the Interior alone to rebuild us, which I think right about $17 million came directly for this facility, which is funny because I think it ended up a little bit more than $17 million. But for this park, the facility demonstrates a long-term commitment to our visitors. The infrastructure here now, as we've all enjoyed this morning, is designed to withstand future storms of great strength, informed by the lessons learned from all the hurricanes that have crossed our coasts. It reflects the core mission of the National Park Service and conserving our resources while ensuring safe access for the public. And I would say safe and enhanced access for the community, especially our gateway communities. This center restores a centerpiece of Everglades City and Chokoloskee. It brings back a gathering place where people can learn, launch into the backcountry, and connect with the natural world.”

Porter Goss, longtime U.S. House of Representatives member (1989-2004) from this district and former Director of Central Intelligence, was in attendance, but didn’t speak. His son, Chauncey Goss, board chairman of the South Florida Water Management District, delivered a strong message.

"Congress recognized that the Everglades needed more than just dedicated land,” Goss said, "it needed restoration, and a comprehensive Everglades restoration plan was authorized. It authorized the Corps of Engineers to work with the State of Florida. And we're part of that arm of the State of Florida through the South Florida Water Management District to reclaim the Everglades and to get the water right here. My dad had a chance to work on the bill language and more importantly, get a chance to vote yes on that bill. Many governors, many secretaries, colonels, executive directors and governing board members, FWC commissioners, tribal chairmen all worked over these last 25 years in conjunction with our amazing staff to get us where we are today. So 25 years later, maybe we aren't as far along, dad, as you thought we should be, but I can tell you, the last six years we have seen feverish work on Everglades restoration.”

Governor DeSantis’ first executive order earmarked $2.5 billion for Everglades restoration over four years. “We actually exceeded that number. We spent closer to $3.3 billion in a second term,” said Goss.

Goss said this was a celebratory week. “This week, we celebrated our 82nd groundbreaking ribbon cutting, a major milestone since 2019. That's 82 projects. Right here in the western Everglades, we raised the Tamiami Trail. We're moving more water south into the park, which is the whole point of this thing,” said Goss.

Another groundbreaking is scheduled on January 28 at Picayune Strand. “That's a great project,” said Goss. “It's going to improve flows and conditions in the 10,000 Islands. It's a massive restoration project. It's 55,000 acres with three huge pump stations coming online in January. It's working. We're rehydrating parts of the park. The Everglades need that water. We're moving water south to Florida Bay to ensure salinity levels are healthy. We're seeing nesting birds come back to areas that they had abandoned, and we're managing Lake Okeechobee in a way that has prevented harmful discharges for the last six years.”

Gant said there will be plenty for the public to enjoy at the Marjory Stoneman Visitor Center.

“Here at this location for the public, we'll have canoe and kayak rentals, boat tours, ranger-led talks, maybe a few guided programs,” Gant said. “It's really an information gateway and a jumping off point to get out into the national park and experience it. We've got ample parking here for people driving in for the day, but there's also parking for those that are going out for overnight expeditions into the backcountry, or into the Marjory Stoneman Douglas wilderness."

Gant hopes that the center will open by the end of the year. She expects to see a big jump in tourist traffic.

“The rebuild has been a long time coming,” she said. "But we're so excited to be able to welcome people very soon to the site. We're really hoping by the end of the month. We're really excited to have this sustainable, resilient structure that's built to be here on the coast. This is the only spot in the national park to be able to jump off into the 10,000 Islands area. We're just looking forward to more people coming and recreating and seeing what the Everglades has to offer. I think it's going to really increase. We're expecting to have an influx of visitation. People have been waiting for this. They know it's coming. And we're headed right into the winter season, so it's perfect timing.”