Statement in Support of Mayor Levine Cava Effort to Transfer Land into Big Cypress National Preserve

Foundation reaffirms its long-standing support for transferring the Dade-Collier (TNT) site to Big Cypress National Preserve

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (June 25, 2026) — The Everglades Foundation today expressed strong support to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for her memorandum to the Board of County Commissioners encouraging the transfer of all County-owned lands associated with the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) to the National Park Service as part of Big Cypress National Preserve.

Statement attributed to Begoñe Cazalis, Director of Communications, The Everglades Foundation

"We thank Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for bringing this critical conservation opportunity back to the table. Her memorandum is an important and welcome step toward securing the permanent protection of one of South Florida's most ecologically significant landscapes — and The Everglades Foundation stands fully behind this effort.

The Foundation has supported the transfer of these sensitive lands to the National Park Service since 2021, when we joined the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in formally urging perpetual conservation of this acreage. That commitment is rooted in the legacy of our founding director, the late Nathaniel P. Reed, who was instrumental in the establishment of Big Cypress National Preserve and after whom the Preserve’s visitor center is named. More than half a century later, we have the opportunity to finish what he started.

The highest and best use of these lands is restoration, conservation, and long-term environmental protection. We urge the Board of County Commissioners to move this process forward, and we thank the Mayor for her leadership. The Everglades Foundation stands ready to support the Mayor, the County Commission, and all Federal, State, and Tribal partners committed to making this historic conservation outcome a reality."