New Polling Confirms Floridians’ Tremendous Support for Everglades Restoration, Florida National Parks

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Today, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) released new polling conducted by the Business and Economics Polling Initiative at Florida Atlantic University (FAU BEPI). This new poll indicates that Floridians overwhelmingly support national parks and Everglades restoration efforts.

FAU researchers conducted two surveys: one of 1,000 Floridians statewide and another specifically of 500 Miami-Dade County residents, to determine their views on climate change and the protection of Florida’s natural areas. Survey questions for each group gauged respondents’ support for Everglades restoration, outdoor recreation, and protecting national parks from threat.

The surveys revealed tremendous results:

• 85% of Floridians agree it is important to find climate change solutions given the impact it is having on our national parks. o In fact, over 70% of respondents in Miami-Dade County report having personally experienced the impact of climate change in their lives already. o Support for climate change solutions is higher in Florida than the national average as compared with a previous NPCA poll from 2022.

• 89% of Floridians value the conservation of Florida’s natural resources as our state grows to ensure future generations can enjoy our state’s natural beauty.

• 86% of Floridians agree that our leaders have an obligation to protect and restore the Everglades for the benefit of our state’s economy, water supply, and quality of life.

You can view the full report and all findings here.

These results indicate strong bipartisan support for restoration and conservation efforts in Florida, with statewide respondents identifying as Republican (34%), Democrat (30%), and Independent (27%) and a small portion indicating no party affiliation (9%).

Across South Florida, NPCA staff and volunteers are campaigning to protect national parks from climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, inappropriate development, and other threats. At the same time, NPCA advocates for restoration investments to improve ecosystem connectivity water quality across the state.

For instance, NPCA recently won a court victory mandating a marine reserve zone to protect Biscayne National Park from overfishing. Further inland, staff are fighting to prevent oil and gas exploration in Big Cypress National Preserve. NPCA is also a leader in the decades-long movement to restore America’s Everglades. Additional poll results from FAU BEPI indicate support for these campaigns:

• In Miami-Dade County, 85% of respondents support using marine protected areas as a conservation tool in national parks to build healthy ocean and marine ecosystems.

• 85% of Floridians agree that national parks should be protected from extractive industries like oil drilling and mining.

• 81% of Floridians agree that Big Cypress National Preserve should be fully restored from damages caused by the hunt for oil and protected from new industrial oil development within its boundaries.

Statement of Cara Capp, Senior Everglades Program Manager for The National Parks Conservation Association:

“Florida’s national parks, which protect our iconic waterways and unique wildlife, are the lifeblood of our state. This new polling shows just how deeply Floridians revere the River of Grass ecosystem, which provides us with clean drinking water and bountiful outdoor recreation opportunities. Across the board, these findings from the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative show stunning support for our parks.

“Across party lines, national park advocates in Florida understand that bold action is needed to protect our parks and communities from climate change, overdevelopment, and extractive industries. From restoring America’s Everglades to protecting our coral reefs in Biscayne National Park and our critical wetlands at Big Cypress National Preserve, the time for that bold action is now. National parks in Florida are worth fighting for. This is our home, and we will stand up for it when we need to.”

Statement of Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Economics and Director of the Business and Economics Polling Initiative at the Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business:

“We are pleased that the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative could partner with the National Parks Conservation Association on a topic that impacts all Floridians, the state’s economy and the preservation of national parks for future generations. As this poll shows, Everglades restoration and climate change impacts are on the forefront of many Floridians’ minds, demonstrating the need for leaders to take restoration seriously. ”

###

About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.