Town of Big Cypress

When the wildlife corridor was envisioned, subdivisions with 10,000 houses and hundreds of thousands of feet of office space were not planned.

A U.S. district judge ruled that by putting Florida in charge of approving permits for projects that affect wetlands in the state, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Endangered Species Act.Washington, D.C.-based Judge Randolph Moss, in a 97-page decision, found that actions by federal officials did not follow the required steps in 2020 before shifting permitting authority to Florida.

Florida panthers will be losing more than 10 square miles of Western Everglades in which they currently roam if the builders get their way. Beloved endangered cougars are gaining ground thanks to preservation efforts that are costing taxpayers.