Everglades Foundation

A judge asked attorneys in the case pitting the Everglades Foundation against its former chief scientists to submit recommended sentences on Friday, which could include up to a year in jail.

The Everglades Foundation contends that Tom Van Lent stole “trade secrets.” Environmentalists question why such “secrets” exist, as work unfolds on a controversial reservoir touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the “crown jewel of Everglades restoration.”

Under the confidential settlement, hydrologist Tom Van Lent agreed not to surrender electronic devices and not discuss matters the Everglades Foundation considers confidential, including research and strategies.

The foundation's attorneys plan to ask a judge to hold scientist Tom Van Lent in contempt of court today for failing to return research or allowing them to inspect computer equipment.

The lawsuit has shaken the normally collaborative environmental community in South Florida known more for their plaintive advocacy on behalf of the River of Grass and its animals than bare-knuckle litigation.

A lawsuit filed by sugar growers this week claimed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated a congressional order to protect water supplies and asked a judge to send the reservoir back to the Corps for a new environmental review.

The plan selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would stop sending water south if levels drop too low in the dry season to protect water supplies.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, and three of his four Florida Cabinet members, rejected a judge's order that found Miami-Dade County plans for the highway failed to comply with state growth laws.

On June 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet are scheduled to review an administrative law judge's March 2020 ruling that found the Dolphin Expressway violated Miami-Dade's comprehensive plan. Cabinet aides will meet on the matter Wednesday.

Shannon Estenoz will become the deputy assistant secretary overseeing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.

Friends of the Everglades and the Everglades Foundation are asking Miami-Dade county commissioners to delay the vote until more details are provided on a county request to use the Homestead Air Reserve Base.

Governor Ron DeSantis is receiving high praise from some environmental groups for his quick action focused on the Everglades. Last week, the governor…