provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Councilwoman Holly D. Smith traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to join The Everglades Foundation’s annual advocacy trip, led by Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg, representing the City of Sanibel in support of continued federal investment in Everglades restoration.
Smith serves as the Governor’s appointee to the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and was invited to participate based on her extensive involvement in water policy issues statewide. She joined a delegation of elected officials, nonprofit partners, and community leaders from across Florida who traveled to the nation’s capital to advocate directly with members of Congress and the administration.
The delegation’s central request was federal approval of at least $446 million in cost-share funding for America’s Everglades, a request grounded in economic research valuing the Everglades ecosystem at $1 trillion and finding that restoration delivers a 4-to-1 return on investment for Florida.
During the week, Smith and fellow advocates met with members of the U.S. House and Senate and their staff, and attended a dinner featuring federal agency leaders and White House representation. The event brought together elected officials and nonprofit partners from across Florida to reinforce the bipartisan, statewide commitment to restoration.
“The Everglades is not just an environmental treasure; it is a trillion-dollar economic engine for our state and a critical piece of Sanibel’s own resilience story,” said Councilwoman Smith. “Continued federal investment is essential to protecting our water quality, our economy, and our way of life. I was proud to stand alongside leaders from across Florida, Republicans and Democrats alike, to make that case in Washington. ‘It’s worth it’ was our platform, and we reinforced that message.”
Smith’s participation reflects Sanibel’s long-standing leadership on water quality and coastal resilience issues and continues her work on regional and statewide restoration efforts as a member of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and the Sanibel City Council.
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