Category Archives: Florida Bay

Drought, Doubt and Florida Bay

Dead seagrass in the shallows of Florida Bay, Flamingo, Everglades National Park, FL 6-26.

Mangroves along Florida Bay are packed full of dead seagrasses, even so, I smile for the camera to alleviate the continual mosquito attack, June 2026. Photo Ed Lippisch.

Hardened shoreline and unhealthy looking waters of Florida Bay, Flamingo, ENP, June 2026.

As I write, the skies above me are electrified. Thor is throwing bolts angrily and I am wondering if my ancient oak trees might get struck. Rain is coming, again, to Martin County, Florida. Martin has been fortunate this year to receive these waters from Heaven while much of the state has not.

On my recent trip with my husband Ed in June to Florida Bay, the waters looked thick and chalky. There were no manatees floating about lazily as in years past. Dead stinking seagrasses lifted from the bottom packed and covered the shoreline. Not a pretty sight.

As we all know, years ago, in an effort to develop our state, humans broke the flow of water flowing south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, channelized the serpentine Kissimmee, and dug out multiple other canals to drain the state. The Buttonwood Canal connecting Coot and White Water Bay in Flamingo was one of the worst, injecting salt water into fresh and not allowing fresh to run into saline. A concrete barrier separates the two. The fallacy of this becomes especially evident during drought times.

According to the South Florida Water Management District’s DROUGHT IN SOUTH FLORIDA 2000-2001 “drought visits North America almost every year in some part of the United States and in nearly every decade. In Central and South Florida several droughts were reported: in 1932, 1955-1957, 1961-1963, 1971-1972, 1973-1974, 1980-1982, 1985, 1988-1989, 1990, 2001-2001” and in 2011 the Boyer Survey, an Archaeological Investigation of Lake Okeechobee was conducted as the lake was so low ancient Indian burial grounds were exposed.

Always, south of Lake Okeechobee is one of the most important areas for wading birds. This year it has been very dry, not good nesting conditions, as shown in red by the US. Drought Monitor for Florida.

The sun does shine though…

Much good work has occurred since the 1970s trying to improve Florida’s water disconnect and in wet years so long as the rain “falls in the right place” water can be sent south to Florida Bay. But in years like 2026, there really was not enough water to send as is reflected in this July 9th SFWMD chart as presented at the Governing Board Meeting. Not to mention the thirsty and politically savvy sugar fields are unquestionably first in line with permits, political contributions and history ….

SFWMD chart reflecting water sent south. 2026 so far is not much.

But there are alternatives….

Gil Smart and Eve Samples of Vote Water and Friends of the Everglades located in Stuart have been politely presenting a theory, really an old theory in new form. Their RESCUE THE RIVER OF GRASS campaign advocates for the public acquisition of at least 100,000 acres in the Everglades Agricultural Area for storage, treatment and to send clean water south to Florida Bay.

Of course the EAA Reservoir, which I completely support is the “crown jewel” of Everglades Restoration and the DeSantis Administration has done great job keeping this fire burning and funding this hard fought necessity. But I am worried that when this administration turns the page in November, that “the powers that be” could highjack the EAA Reservoir to service agricultural needs over sending water south to Florida Bay – the Savings Clause.

Maybe I’m paranoid? Maybe I’m afraid history will repeat itself?Maybe I’m right?

As we turn the corner this General Election, let’s keep our eye on restoring the River of Grass and the EAA Reservoir and all the politics that surround it. We have to.

An osprey perched above Florida Bay looking for fish…

Finding the Shark River

When Ed and I recently visited Flamingo and rented a boat to explore White Water Bay, my goal had been to find the Shark River. I never found it…

I had wanted to see this river because although there are many Everglades’ rivers, the Shark is the most associated with Shark River Slough. Even though this slough, this river of grass, has been amputated by the Everglades Agricultural Area, Tamiami Trail, and eastern coastal development, getting waters into Shark River Slough and the Shark River still translates and is actually improving: “Sending Water South.”

So we took a flight…

Ponce de Leon Bay, where much of this water exits, is particularly breathtaking to see. The geometric shapes, shades of green, brown, and blue create a giant puzzle. It makes me want to put all the pieces back tother again.

It was so wonderful to finally find the Shark River! I wanted you to see it too! The primary goal remains, to send more water south; this we must envision…

-Everglades Rivers flowing southwest out of Shark River Slough 1-21-21, photos JTL&EL -Ponce de Leon Bay where Shark River exits into Florida Bay –The Shark River is the primary river you see coming into this area of Ponce de Leon Bay. White Water Bay is to the right. It all kind of blends together.

Shark River, red dot follow northeast; 2. Shark River Slough, large most far right area above shark river -seemingly brownish green – running into Shark River 3. Water Water Bay appears as a dark green depression southeast of and connected to the Shark River; 4. Shark River exits at Ponce de Leon Bay into Florida Bay. Florida Bay is in dire need of more fresh water.

Overview of Florida Bay’s Water Problems and How They Are Connected to Ours, SLR/IRL

1e97d7e4-6879-4be0-a17f-84a4a217262b — Florida Bay algae bloom, photo Captain Daniel Andrews at 1500 feet, Dec. 20, 2016

Last Thursday, concerned citizens traveled to Tallahassee. Some were from the East Coast, some were from the West Coast, and some were from Florida’s Southern Tip. Those from the Southern Tip, like us from the Northern Estuaries, are experiencing a die off.

But their estuary is even larger and more famous; its name is Florida Bay. The sometimes confusing part of reading about all the present water issues is that Florida Bay’s die off is due to lack of fresh water, rather than too much such as ours. Nonetheless, as with everything in life, it’s all connected.

Florida Bay has been heavily impacted over the years not only because of the redirection of about *20 percent of its waters from Lake Okeechobee that used to flow south, but also due to the encroachment of development into the Everglades’ watershed near Homestead and north thereof. Years ago this development cut off water to Florida Bay especially through Taylor Slough, a shallow river. (See map below)

During a recent visit, my husband and I noted this area east of Everglades National Park experiencing a real estate boom of highway construction and the sell off of agricultural lands for residential development, so this encroachment issue will only increase over the coming years.

Shark River Slough, to the east, is much larger and also feeds the Bay. (See map below)

Although the South Florida Water Management District and Army Corp of Engineers have been “working hard” on the area of the Taylor Slough area of the state, it will not be enough to save the dying Bay that has lost up to 50,000 acres of seagrass recently according to Dr Davis of the Everglades Foundation and reports by local fishermen.

The photos shared in this post by Captain Daniel Andrews of Ft Meyers show the a section of the Bay on December 20th, 2016, at around 1500 feet south of Cape Sable. Cape Sable is west of Taylor Slough but still affected. The waters of the Bay have been decreased not only through Taylor Slough, but also Shark River Slew, of which Lake Okeechobee was once connected as documented by our Native Americans.

Captain Daniel said in an interview: ” The last major die off the Bay had was in 1987, and it resulted in a decade of algae blooms from all the nutrients that were released by the decaying grass. It took ten years for it to recover.”

Now this cycle is happening all over again, in sync with toxic blooms in the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries caused by too much water.

Too little or too much. We are all connected…