Update on Proposed 8,500-acre Rock Mine Adjacent to EAA Reservoir

February 23, 2026

Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir construction site.

A stipulated settlement has been filed between Tropical Audubon et al. and Phillips & Jordan (P&J). Under this settlement, P&J is permitted to mine rock on only 1,337 acres, with a buffer encompassing a total of 2,000 acres. The settlement only authorizes a mine. The contractor is prohibited both from taking water from the Miami Canal and from discharging water off the rock mine site. 

“The Everglades Foundation’s primary concern in this matter has been protecting the public’s investment in the EAA Reservoir, the crown jewel of Everglades restoration. The original conceptual proposal for this project included blasting rock with a very limited buffer adjacent to the Reservoir.  Our science team has been on the record regarding concerns about impacts this mine could have on Everglades restoration objectives.

This is a positive development given the original scope for the rock mine which had been proposed as a water resource project without resolving questions about groundwater effects, water movement, or water quality. We commend Tropical Audubon Society for pursuing litigation against the misguided proposal to mine rock on 8,500 acres adjacent to the EAA Reservoir.”

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