The Everglades Story by Friends of the Everglades

The Everglades are often reduced to a postcard image: vast sawgrass marshes, alligators lurking just beneath the surface, and a national park many Floridians rarely visit. But according to Friends of the Everglades, that limited perception is part of the problem.

“To appreciate the Everglades, to protect them, we must first understand them,” said Leah Voss, multimedia producer for Friends of the Everglades.

That belief is at the heart of The Everglades Story, a new nine-part video series produced by the nonprofit in collaboration with former television news anchor Michael Williams. The short-form videos, each roughly two minutes long, explore the history, beauty, and ongoing challenges facing the Everglades, while connecting the ecosystem directly to the lives of South Floridians.

“We really wanted it to be digestible,” Voss said. “People do have shorter attention spans, and getting too in the weeds can muddy the message.”

While the Everglades are globally recognized for their biodiversity, Voss emphasized that their importance goes far beyond wildlife habitat. “The Everglades are the source of drinking water for South Florida,” she said. “It’s more than just a national park. It’s very meaningful to us.”

Historically, the Everglades stretched from the Orlando area south to the Florida Keys- a massive, slow-moving river of grass that has since been drastically reduced by drainage, development, and altered water flow. Today, only fragments of that original ecosystem remain, preserved in pockets like Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

The decision to tell this story through video was intentional. As a former photojournalist, Voss sees visuals as a powerful way to challenge misconceptions about the Everglades.

Drone footage featured throughout the series offers a perspective many viewers have never seen, revealing wetlands that may look unremarkable from the roadside but are “incredibly nuanced and colorful” from above.

“There is power in videos breaking stereotypes of what the Everglades are,” Voss said. “To people who understand the ecosystem, it’s not scary, it’s beautiful, and it’s balanced.”

Beyond education, The Everglades Story is also tied directly to advocacy. The series supports Friends of the Everglades’ “Rescue the River of Grass” campaign, which calls on the state of Florida to fully utilize voter-approved conservation funding from the 2014 Amendment One.

Amendment One was designed to permanently fund land and water conservation across the state. Importantly, Amendment One did not raise taxes; it only redirected existing revenue toward conservation priorities that voters explicitly approved.

Friends of the Everglades is urging the state to acquire at least 100,000 acres of land in the Everglades Agricultural Area using the Amendment One funds. This would create stormwater treatment areas that can store, clean, and send water south, restoring more natural flow into the Everglades.

Current state projects address only a portion of what scientists say is needed. “The current project is just not enough,” Voss said. “Our science shows it’s a fraction of what was originally proposed.”

As Florida’s population continues to grow, Voss believes restoration and development must be addressed together. “We have to protect this ecosystem as we grow,” she said. “Otherwise, we’re not going to have the resources we need to survive here.”

Williams’ involvement in the series brings both credibility and familiarity to the message. After retiring from broadcast journalism, he reached out to Friends of the Everglades, looking for ways to help.

“He’s spent his career covering these issues,” Voss said. “He’s a commanding, entertaining, strong storyteller, and a really credible source.”

For Voss, the collaboration reflects a shared belief in the power of storytelling to influence public policy. “Storytelling is a tool for advocacy,” she said. “It equips people with knowledge, and that knowledge gives people bravery- especially when they’re speaking up to elected officials or developers.”

Friends of the Everglades hopes viewers will take the next step after watching the series by learning more, sharing the videos, and signing the organization’s Rescue the River of Grass petition at https://www.everglades.org/rescue/.

“We want people to join this movement,” Voss said. “The more people understand what’s at stake, the stronger our collective voice becomes.”

The Everglades Story video series is available now at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo7btkvFIjoP0-aCYezS24glWRFOMhvoP.