The Everglades: Florida's River of Grass, Not a Place You "Live"

You don't "live in the Everglades" like a town. The Everglades is a 1.5M-acre wetland ecosystem spanning South Florida's tip—a slow river, not a municipality.

Where It Is

• Counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry, Collier, Monroe (Florida Keys)
• Boundaries: Lake Okeechobee (north) → Florida Bay (south). Atlantic ridge (east) → Big Cypress (west).
• Key protected areas: Everglades NP (1.5M ac), Big Cypress Preserve (729K ac), Francis Taylor WMA, Rotenberger, Holey Land.

What It Is

Hydrology: Sheetflow — water moves south ~30 m/day, inches to feet deep. Wet season (May–Oct): flooded. Dry season (Nov–Apr): concentrated in sloughs/gator holes.

Habitats: Sawgrass marsh, wet prairie, cypress domes, mangrove forest, pine rockland, hardwood hammock, coastal estuary.

Flagship species: Florida panther (<100 left), American crocodile (only US place with both crocs & gators), manatee, wood stork, snail kite, roseate spoonbill.

Human Presence

• Miccosukee & Seminole Tribes: Reservations within/adjacent. Traditional use rights.
• Agriculture: Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) — 470K ac sugar cane, vegetables (north of park).
• Urban: Miami/Fort Lauderdale metro (6M) on eastern fringe — water supply dependent.
• Visitors: 1M+/year to NP. No permanent residents inside park.

Restoration: CERP

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (2000): $23B, 68 projects, 30+ years. Goal: restore sheetflow quantity, quality, timing, distribution. Progress: incremental, political, essential.

The Everglades isn't where you live. It's what makes South Florida livable — water supply, flood protection, climate buffer, wonder.