ST INS CARES-The Everglades Foundation-Everglades Restoration Explained

Florida’s water headlines can feel like a never-ending loop: algae, discharges, murky estuaries, and the question of why it keeps happening. We sit down with Steve Davis, Chief Science Officer at the Everglades Foundation, to map the problem back to its source and explain what it actually takes to move cleaner water the way nature intended. Along the way, we connect the dots between Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee, Florida Bay, and the communities that live on tourism, fishing, recreation, and waterfront life. 

Steve walks us through how South Florida’s wetlands were drained and compartmentalized over decades, why the system got pushed to dump water east and west, and how that “double whammy” of volume plus pollution damages both ecosystems and the economy. Then we get concrete about solutions: the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir south of the lake, its adjoining treatment wetlands, and why this 17,000-acre build is often described as heart bypass surgery for the Everglades. We also talk about the C-43 reservoir, why massive water infrastructure requires careful operational testing, and how storage projects replace the natural storage wetlands used to provide. 

We don’t skip the hard part either: funding and authorization. Everglades restoration is a state-federal partnership that needs steady annual support, plus community awareness so policies don’t undermine progress. Steve also shares how education fits in, including the Everglades Foundation’s K-12 literacy program reaching students across Florida, and why the Everglades is more than scenery it’s a trillion-dollar asset in ecosystem services like water supply, storm surge protection, tourism, and real estate value. If you care about clean water in Southwest Florida and beyond, subscribe, share this conversation, and leave a review so more neighbors can find it.

The Everglades Foundation
Steve Davis
18001 Old Cutler Road, Suite 625 Palmetto Bay, Florida 33157
info@evergladesfoundation.org
evergladesfoundation.org

State Insurance USA
4450 Camino Real Way Ft Myers, FL 33966
239-567-9992
100 Lovers Ln 3rd Floor Ft Myers Beach, FL 33931
(239) 690-6300
office@StateInsuranceUSA.com
stateinsuranceusa.com

Ft Myers Beach-Good Neighbor
To Nominate Someone to be Featured
Or
To Subscribe to the Newsletter
CLICK HERE
https://cabowabojim.com/listen-to-podcasts/

Transcript

Welcome And Community Mission

Intro/Close 0:00

Welcome to State Insurance USA Cares Podcast, where we celebrate the heart of our communities. Each episode, we highlight local charities and nonprofits who are bringing hope, help, and healing to those who need it most. Get ready to be inspired by the amazing stories of people making a difference. Because together, we care.

"Cabo" Jim 0:20

Welcome, Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbors. Today we have Steve Davis, Chief Science Officer from the Everglades Foundation. Welcome. Thanks, Jim. Good to be here. Yeah, pleasure to have you on and educate our listeners about uh the Everglades Foundation and what it does. So let's jump right in. So, our listeners who aren't that familiar with the Foundation, could you share a little bit about what you do?

How Drainage Broke Natural Water Flow

Steve Davis 0:45

Sure. Well, uh let me first just talk briefly about our history. We were formed as an organization in 1993 in response to water crises, uh, particularly around the Florida Keys and in Florida Bay, not unlike what you all experience in the Caloosahatchee and uh exacerbation of red tide. So we were formed then um to figure out this water problem that we have in South Florida. And that ultimately led to the comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. And since that time, 2000, we've really uh been sort of the science voice for the NGO community to advance Everglades restoration projects and to ensure that these projects are operated in a way that delivers maximum environmental benefit. So, really, to benefit all of us in South Florida.

"Cabo" Jim 1:42

And you know, and to explain to our listeners a little bit about what was happening prior to some of this development and you guys getting involved.

Steve Davis 1:51

Well, it it uh you know goes back to the impacts of the discharges and uh really something that began uh as early as the late 1800s and the incentive programs that the federal government had to drain wetlands. And Everglades, you know, was an expansive wetland ecosystem that surrounded Lake Okeechobee, extended up the Kissimmee Valley. And so these problems really went unnoticed because there wasn't a very large population in Florida, especially in South Florida. But as populations grew, people began to realize that their waterfront homes, their uh connection to this ecosystem became fractured because of the pollution, because of the uh unnatural way that water was managed. Uh, and it was really for agriculture. The the changes in South Florida were done to accommodate an economy of Florida that was really ag driven. And of course, we're no longer an ag state. Um, it's really a tourism state, it's water-based recreation, it's real estate. That's what drives our state's economy. And so restoration really aligns the management and protection of water resources with our modern day economy.

"Cabo" Jim 3:16

And a lot of that happened, you know, because basically what we were doing was we were preventing some of that water from going naturally into the Everglades, correct?

Steve Davis 3:24

And then we were getting water from Lake Okeechobee used to flow south historically. And unnatural diversions that we created to the east and the west, those are just incredibly high-volume dumping of polluted, what's become polluted water? So it's really a double whammy in terms of impacts to the environment and to the economy.

"Cabo" Jim 3:48

And it's and it's taking it from that center in Lake O and spreading it out throughout the both coasts of Florida, pretty much. That's right. Exactly. So what kind of things? I mean, you've been involved with this for quite a while now. What kind of things are you proud of or that you see coming forward that uh, you know, you can you put your stamp in it and said, I'm glad I'm a part of this. We're changing the way things are happening here in Florida.

Building For Scale, Safety, And Cleanup

Steve Davis 4:13

Well, I think most recently it's seeing projects moving, seeing projects coming to completion, seeing projects, critical projects like the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir advanced and even accelerated that reservoir project south of Lake Okeechobee. Um 10,000 acres in terms of the footprint of the project, plus an additional 6,500-acre treatment wetland adjacent to it. Uh, that project is the heart bypass surgery for this Everglades ecosystem. It's the means by which we reconnect large volumes of flow and clean flow back to the south. And the more we can do that, the less of that high-volume dumping has to occur to both the east and west coasts. So seeing that project accelerated now with a timeline of completion in 2029 uh really sets us up for uh improved water management, improved ecological conditions, and then, of course, all the um economic benefits that flow from that, we expect to see in the 2030s. And of course, the C43 reservoir project has been completing. It's now going through operational testing. And I know that many people think that when the the ribbon is cut on these projects, that they are just ready to rip and roar. And and of course, this is massive water infrastructure that we're talking about tens of billions of gallons of water. You can't just fill it up and and let it rip. It it's an arduous process of testing uh for safety and for just in understanding the effectiveness of these projects. So um that project is now in operational testing. We're excited to see that. Um, the reservoir to the east has had some leakage issues that were discovered through operational testing. So that's working to be resolved. And really, there's so much storage built into this restoration plan, primarily because we've disconnected it from Lake Okeechobee. We've compartmentalized it, we've reduced it in half. We lost a lot of wetlands, and the wetlands are natural storage areas. So when you lose wetlands, it's essential to create almost a uh a prosthesis uh of storage function back into the system. And that's why these reservoirs are so important. And then, of course, we need to make sure the water's clean so we have means by which we we ensure that the water is treated and um is able to flow in its natural timing and volume and and quality, of course.

"Cabo" Jim 7:07

And I had the pleasure of coming out and touring the EEA. And it was just the massive scale and size of it. Can you explain that for people that haven't heard about it or seen it?

Steve Davis 7:19

Yeah, it's it's hard to understand the scale unless you you actually get out there and see it. It's it's um I don't even know if this does it justice, but you could fit Manhattan into the footprint and talking uh uh you know, a total project area of 17,000 acres, and even that's difficult to fathom. Um flying over it certainly helps to understand the scale, but most people, you know, don't get that opportunity. Um it is a big project. And when you think a football field, um, you know, people think that's a large plot of land. It's only about an acre. So when you when you think of that and then start multiplying, it's it's just enormous. And um the amount of volume that it will hold, tens of billions of gallons of of water, uh allowing us not to just hold that water, but to gradually pay it uh through those treatment wetlands and then back to the south. But even on top of the scale of the project, I think the scale of the activity around that footprint is also impressive. Uh massive amounts of equipment, heavy equipment, earth movers, uh backhoes, um, lots of trucks and people out there working day after day to help ensure that it's completed by 2029. And um, you know, it this is the largest project that the Corps of Engineers is undertaking right now nationally, and it's the largest above-ground reservoir they've built in their history. So these are just accolades that, you know, again, it's it's difficult to understand the scale, but it's it's an enormous project and it's it's for us. And I think people need to realize that this isn't for uh a single industry, it's for all of us in South Florida, and it's really designed to ensure our environment improves, that we are dumping less of that polluted water, that we're sending it south to the Everglades where it was intended to go.

"Cabo" Jim 9:33

And it's just, you know, it's not just the like you had mentioned, the sheer scale of it, but the I I was impressed by the detail of it. You know, you guys are layering different types of you know, a soil and sediment to help filter the water and hold the water. It's not as easy as just digging a hole and dumping water into it. You've got layers for Oh my goodness, yeah.

The Funding And Authorization Marathon

Steve Davis 9:53

And and the construction of the foundation to compact uh that soil so that we, you know, reduce uh as much as possible the water leaking out of it, but they also have redundancy features built in, seepage collector canals that intercept that water as it may leak out of the system and then recirculate and pump that back in. So it's that there's a uh a lot of design elements that go into it and it's primarily safety features to ensure that we're protecting communities that were, you know, at the same time delivering benefits.

"Cabo" Jim 10:29

So obviously, you know, the scale of this is is is great. It's a wonderful thing you're doing just for the people of Florida in general. But what are your biggest challenges that your team is facing, you know, now and moving forward?

Steve Davis 10:42

Well, it's uh it's it's a perpetual need for funding, state and federal funding to build these projects. And um, going back to when the plan was was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in December of 2000, um, you know, that just really was the starting pistol to set this effort in motion. And then it was left to us as to whether we would actually run the race. And and running that race entails planning projects, uh, which in some cases takes multiple years. And this comprehensive plan had over 60 uh components, and and some of those components are bundled together into individual projects, and um, they could take up to six years to plan. Um, so you get these projects planned, you come up with a suitable alternative that delivers benefits and is cost-effective, and then you have to go through the the gauntlet of congressional authorization. And once you get that project authorized, then it's a matter of going back each and every year to get the funding. And so it's just a constant um effort to make this happen for South Florida, and so it now it's really about uh finishing the project planning efforts and each and every year getting the funding that we need, not just from Washington. This is a state-federal partnership and one of the few that are 50-50 cost shares, where the state has the resources and the interest to you know chip in their shares. So uh Governor DeSantis has been uh incredibly supportive of Everglades restoration and is really, you know, uh uh has accounted for a lot of the success and project completions that we've had over the past several years. And we're starting to see the federal funding uh tick upward as well. And and that combined is what we need again each and every year until these projects are built. Because if that funding, if that flow of funding stops, then all restoration activity, that project that you visited, all those construction workers, all that heavy equipment comes to a stop.

"Cabo" Jim 13:04

And that's part of your role as a foundation is to go out there and make sure that things are consistently moving forward, they're funded, and awareness is out there too.

Steve Davis 13:14

And and working through our partner groups, and we have a number of great partner groups, uh, especially on that coast. Uh Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, uh, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, of course, Captains for Clean Water is there as well, and and ensuring um that this reservoir project is completed. So it's it's really a team effort to uh to get this effort uh across the finish line.

"Cabo" Jim 13:42

Absolutely. So looking ahead, what what are your hopes for the future and and how do you see the um you know maybe the members here of Southwest Florida uh being part of that?

Steve Davis 13:53

Well, I what I see now, what what my team is uh paying very close attention to is the benefits that we're starting to see on the ground. Um we have enough projects around South Florida that have been constructed that are starting to show benefits. And of course, as we get more of that infrastructure in the ground, those benefits multiply uh on the scale of millions of acres. And so um seeing those benefits is not only heartening uh and and provides me with the optimism I need to continue on a daily basis, but it also shows that restoration works to our elected officials who are making those decisions about appropriations and authorizations. So we have the confidence that uh we know what we're doing as a community. We're really setting the mark uh not just nationally, but globally as to how these types of large ecosystems can be restored, how they are connected to our daily lives, uh, and and you know, giving us the confidence that if the political will is there, we can do it and and we'll derive benefits from these projects for many decades to come. So uh that's what gives me hope. And and also seeing um just the the rallying of support by communities, um, Southwest Florida certainly is is chief among those who understand the value of Everglades restoration and and are realizing its benefits.

"Cabo" Jim 15:31

Yeah, and I want to applaud you guys for what you do because I've I've heard it from from both coasts, people on both coasts, you know, going out and visiting the beach. You know, you mentioned tourism is a big part of what we do down here. People coming out and saying, I have never seen the water this color blue before. You know, it's like it's coming back to what it was and what it was. I was in the water a couple of weeks ago, and you know, for the first time in a long time over here on this coast, you know, I could walk out my waist deep and actually see my feet in the water. It's something I haven't seen in years. So uh the efforts are working, the water is getting cleaner. Uh your efforts are definitely making a big impact for everybody here in the state of Florida.

How Listeners Can Help Right Now

Steve Davis 16:10

Yeah, and Jim, the uh the resilience that that you just uh described, um, these natural systems, if if we give them uh a chance, they will recover uh in some cases almost immediately. And and so the benefits that I was describing earlier, in some cases, it's seeing the rejuvenation of these natural environments, whether seagrasses and oysters, uh if we stop pounding them with polluted water or uh the return of natural ridge and slough habitats and places like the Everglades. Um, it's just a matter of getting the water right and and keeping it right. And that's one of the big things that restoration helps with.

"Cabo" Jim 16:57

So speaking about some of that, how would our listeners go about helping? Or what can they do to help, I should ask?

Steve Davis 17:06

Well, there are a number of ways. I I think you know, it first it's it's just becoming educated on the issues and understanding um what Everglades restoration is. It's more than just fixing Everglades National Park. It's really about our water management system across South Florida. Um, having said that, Everglades Restoration doesn't solve all our problems. Um we have water quality problems outside of the you know the scope of what restoration does. But I think increasing awareness of these issues then lends itself more to people wanting to do more uh with regard to water quality and some of the other challenges. I I think knowing where elected officials are on this issue and and ensuring that the proper funding levels are there, ensuring that uh as uh bills are being proposed either locally or at the state level, um, that they're not undermining um and in some cases literally undermining projects that we're trying to get in the ground that deliver benefits to all of us. Uh so I I think it's just being aware of the issues and and expressing your voice in those instances where where you have them. And then, of course, there are as I mentioned, a number of groups that are uh focused on these issues, and we're certainly one of them, and and we pride ourselves in being the science voice for this NGO community, but we're all you know driven by the generosity of donors, and and that's what that that's what makes us go and are able to succeed. So that that's another way is to get involved and support organizations that are working daily to advance Everglades restoration.

"Cabo" Jim 19:01

Because it does make a difference, and like you had mentioned, we saw this recently where our voice was heard by the legislative uh committees, and you know, it made a difference in what what passed and what did pass and what got through. So um it's a big thing for everybody. You know, we're noticing a difference on the coast. So get involved, inform your friends. Education is a big thing. So uh how would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more or wanted to share that information?

Steve Davis 19:28

Well, I there are a number of ways you can check us out and learn more about the Everglades Foundation. We're at EvergladesFoundation.org on the web. Uh we have presence in social media channels, whether Facebook, Instagram, X, um, LinkedIn, you name it, you can find the Everglades Foundation, and you can certainly find me on our webpage. I I um, you know, we we've got a great team of scientists at the Everglades Foundation, but we also have uh, you know, significant programs in areas of policy. Again, you know, those uh uh folks are focused on these projects, the funding, um, and and of course, you know, policies that are introduced that might impact our our success. And we also have an education program at the Everglades Foundation, a K-12 literacy program. Uh, we're in more than 32 school districts across the state. Uh we've reached over 200,000 students in the state of Florida. Uh, we have a presence in Collier and Lee counties, and um, you know, that that program has been incredibly successful. And and really it's it's a matter of getting kids to understand it's not just uh all about the Everglades because it's environmental education and it's not you know added on top of what teachers are already burdened with. It's it's a way to incorporate more uh of the same types of curriculum materials into their classroom, but have it with a local uh ecosystem as the focal point, understanding the value of water quality, understanding the importance of biodiversity in in these uh uh students' classrooms. So that's another program that's been incredibly successful.

"Cabo" Jim 21:17

Lots of wonderful things. And yeah, like you said, it's about the education, about learning and sharing that knowledge. Any last words for our listeners today?

Steve Davis 21:26

Well, I just think that, you know, again, it's it's uh you know a message of optimism that we know these projects are working. Uh, we are working, again, with our partners to maintain that momentum. Uh, but the other side of that message is also quite positive. And and we've done economic studies over the past several years. And this past year, we unveiled a uh a first of its kind analysis of ecosystem services in Washington, D.C. And that study in partnership with Earth Economics showed that Everglades as an ecosystem and the services it provides all of us in this state is a trillion dollar asset. And uh it's it's no surprise that this system's greatest assets are in areas of real estate values, water supply, recreation, tourism, uh, and even things like storm surge attenuation. So having these wetlands healthy in our backyard is incredibly beneficial to us, and it's an asset that we all share.

"Cabo" Jim 22:38

And it's part of why we live in Florida to be outdoors and enjoy the environment, right? That's right. Well, Steve, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for what you do, and thank you for being such a good neighbor. Thank you, Jim.

Steve Davis 22:51

Take care with you. Bye.

Intro/Close 22:53

Thank you for joining us on State Insurance USA Cares. We hope today's story uplifted and inspired you. If you'd like to support or learn more about the incredible work happening in your community, visit StateInsurance USA.com or call 239 567 9992. You can also visit Cabo WaboJim.com. Until next time, be sure to let your sun shine and keep sharing good and positive vibes wherever the waves take you.