MARTIN COUNTY, FL--A group known as 'Everglades Earth First' says it's celebrating a small victory against Florida Power and Light.
Dozens of environmentalists parked their vehicles near the east side of Lake Okeechobee today.
Then, they biked about five miles up this road to the Barley Barber Swamp, an area they say is being destroyed by the FPL plant which provides electricity to Martin County.
According to the group, 17 of its members were arrested during today's protest.
But, they say it's worth it, to preserve a historic and unique piece of nature in South Florida.
"We've been staying out there, keeping a presence and the police have made sure that we don't cross into the swamp,” said Bryan Sprinkle “and we might just want to try and cross into the swamp and show fpl that we mean business."
The Martin County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the number of people arrested, saying six protesters were arrested for trespassing on FPL property and resisting without violence and eleven others were arrested for trespassing on Cayman Cattle Company property.
The environmentalists say the Martin County Power-providing plant has agreed to reopen the swamp to the public next year.
UPDATE: Florida Power and Light has released the following statement regarding today's protest...
"The claims regarding inadequate hydration of Barley Barber Swamp are completely false. FPL entered into an agreement in 1983 with the South Florida Water Management District under which we committed to maintain appropriate water levels in the Barley Barber Swamp. We have maintained hydration and report our monitoring results monthly to SFWMD as part of our fulfillment of the agreement. We would be more than happy to host a site visit by the Water Management District at any time.
We are committed to operating our facilities in harmony with the environment. The Barley Barber Swamp is considered one of the finest remaining cypress swamps in Florida. This unique ecosystem continues to thrive just as it has since FPL voluntarily preserved it more than 30 years ago. The swamp was closed to the public as a security measure in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. Last year, we voluntarily started the process of reopening the swamp and will be working with local and state officials to devise an appropriate plan to do so.
We are disappointed that this group has resorted to illegal activity and we are leaving the matter in the hands of law enforcement. We are concerned for the safety of anyone who enters the swamp without appropriate precautions—it is a wild nature preserve home to alligators, poisonous snakes and other animals."
