Everglades Restoration
The Florida Everglades has become a focal point of national and state environmental restoration efforts. Government initiatives to settle and develop Florida's lower East Coast converted the historical Everglades into an integral part of a multi-purpose water supply/flood control system of unprecedented scale. In fact, this project has met many of the original goals set out for it, and Florida's Gold Coast has developed an urban and agricultural infrastructure that would not have been possible without it. Now, federal and state authorities are refocusing on the remaining Everglades ecosystem in a program to modify the original project in ways that they hope will improve the ecological health of the Everglades, while keeping the primary benefits of the urban and agricultural developments that it facilitated. However, the complexity of the Everglades and the formulation of controversial, politically driven restoration goals have generated the most litigious and costly process of its type in Florida, and perhaps U.S., history.
Our firm has been at the forefront of Everglades restoration matters for decades through its representation of Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida and its members who farm in the Everglades Agricultural Area. A primary goal of this representation has been to assure that government actions that will affect both the environment and the livelihood of farmers are based upon sound science and full consideration of all relevant factors. This means that the complex Everglades ecosystem and the infrastructure which depends upon it must be carefully evaluated, proposed changes must be thoughtfully developed with appropriate scientific underpinnings, and cost-effectiveness must be assured if this effort is to succeed. We have worked with a team of scientific experts to evaluate and critique the various government initiatives, and where appropriate, to hold them to task in order to assure a science-driven process. 
Our firm has handled Everglades restoration-related issues brought in the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Florida Circuit Courts, Florida District Courts of Appeals, and the Florida Supreme Court, the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, and the permit review process of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Representation has also included interactions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the South Florida Water Management District, as well as the Florida Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Of equal significance, our firm has closely worked with scientists and engineers to bring their expertise to bear in the technical issue resolution process. The various facets of Everglades representation have cut across all layers of law and government decision making processes at the forefront of environmental law. This work is a focused example of our firm's wide-ranging expertise in dealing with wetlands-related issues in Florida.
Practicing Attorneys : William H. Green and Gary V. Perko.