Miami's Expansion Into the Everglades: A City vs. Ecosystem Conflict

Miami—and the broader South Florida metropolitan area (Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Homestead)—has aggressively expanded into historic Everglades wetlands.

Mechanisms of Encroachment

• Drainage & Canalization: Central & Southern Florida Project (1948+) built 1,800+ miles of canals/levees, lowering water table for agriculture/development.
• Agricultural Conversion: Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) — 700,000 acres of sugarcane, vegetables — south of Lake Okeechobee.
• Urban Sprawl: Western suburbs (Weston, Doral, Kendall, Florida City) push into former sawgrass marsh.
• Infrastructure: Roads (Alligator Alley/I-75, Krome Ave), utilities, airports fragment habitat.

Ecological Consequences

• 50%+ original Everglades lost.
• Sheet flow disrupted → altered fire regimes, saltwater intrusion, nutrient pollution (phosphorus).
• Species declines: Florida panther (<100), wood stork, snail kite, American crocodile.

Restoration

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP, 2000) — $23B, 30+ years — aims to "get the water right" via storage, treatment, and flow restoration. Progress is slow; climate change adds urgency.

Miami's growth exemplifies the global tension between coastal urbanization and wetland preservation.