Study: Glades adds $31.5B in value to region

Keys News, July 2, 2025

The Greater Everglades ecosystem provides at least $31.5 billion in ecosystem services each year to the southern region of Florida, according to a new study co-authored by the Everglades Foundation and Earth Economics.

Such services include real estate benefits, freshwater storage, outdoor recreation opportunities, commercial fishing and more, which over the next 50 years will add up to more than $1 trillion in services, according to “Thriving Everglades, Thriving Economy: Nature’s Value in the Everglades.”

The Everglades Foundation is a nonprofit Everglades restoration advocacy and education group, and Earth Economics is a nonprofit organization that uses economic and market data to calculate the value of natural systems.

Home to more than 9 million people, the South Florida Water Management District’s 16-county region welcomes over 50 million visitors annually, supports real estate assets worth over $2.7 trillion and generates $877 billion in annual GDP, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

The study found that the Everglades provides about $9.2 billion in added value each year to the real estate market as homebuyers are willing to pay 7.1% more for single-family homes and 14.4% more for condominiums with water access or scenic water views. Outdoor recreation for residents and visitors provides $8.5 billion annually.

Read the full Keys News article here: https://www.keysnews.com/news/state/study-glades-adds-31-5b-in-value-to-region/article_a5d0b142-c496-46a2-8b10-9b67a196b054.html

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