This site was created to expand access to the University of Miami School of Law Library's Everglades Litigation Collection.  The collection is based on the 1994 donation of Everglades-related litigation documents by the United States Attorney's Office.

This web site debuted in April 1997, after a Law Library conference on Everglades litigation. Since then hundreds of documents have been made available on-line.

Introduction

The Everglades are closely related wetland habitats which, before arrival of Europeans, constituted virtually the entirety of Florida south of Lake Okeechobee. Despite problems from development, the Everglades remain home to hundreds of endangered species and continue to be recognized for a haunting beauty unique in North America. As the single largest wetland system in the United States, the Everglades are of great interest in this country and around the world.

The lawsuits concerning the Everglades collectively constitute one of the longest and most complex pieces of litigation in the United States. The litigation materials may be of considerable interest to persons interested in complex litigation, in pollution, in mediating environmental disputes, in the relationship between federal and state government, in environmental law, in the property clause of the Constitution, in the public trust doctrine, and in the relationship between law and politics.

Moreover, with thousands of documents, much of the material in the Everglades Litigation Collection deals with sophisticated scientific aspects of the Everglades related to pollution and its effects on native vegetation, water quality, water flow, modeling of complex hydrological systems, and the broad issue of the interplay among science, law and policy.

The University of Miami School of Law Library is pleased to house the Everglades Litigation Collection and maintains a commitment to developing access to these materials through the Internet as well as through more traditional means.

   Everglades National Park and litigation

   A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and litigation

Goals

Our main goal is to make the voluminous collection of documents gathered during years of litigation over water quality in the Florida Everglades available to a wide audience.   As you can see from our Contents page, we have already added substantially to the collection's on-line holdings.

This site will provide:

   General background information on the Everglades ecosystem and on several lawsuits seeking to prevent or stop its degradation

   Access to a large database containing bibliographic information on thousands of documents produced during litigation.

   Full-text versions of selected documents or files

   Updates on current litigation and regulatory issues

Sections of this site will be continually under development. We plan to build on the progress made since the site's debut on April 1997 and look forward to your comments or suggestions.

Contact

If you have any questions about the Everglades Litigation Collection or want to make suggestions regarding the web site's layout, please contact Helen Wohl, Assistant Library Director for Collection Development and Special Collections, at hwohl@law.miami.edu or at (305) 284-2823.

Thank you for your interest in the Florida Everglades.

Law Library Information

General Law Library Information

University of Miami School of Law Library

Deliveries:   1311 Miller Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Mail: P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124

 

Phone numbers:

General Telephone: (305) 284-2250

Facsimile Number: (305) 284-3554

Circulation Desk: (305) 284-3563

Interlibrary Loans: (305) 284-3728

Reference Desk: (305) 284-3585

Archives & Special Collections: (305) 284-2823

 

Law Library Hours

           Visit this page for up to date information:

           http://www.law.miami.edu/library/hours.php

Law Library Web Page

           Visit the Law Library's web page:     

   http://www.law.miami.edu/library/index.php       

 

Directions to the Law Library

The Law Library is located in the School of Law Complex on the University of Miami Campus in Coral Gables, a city south of Miami.

 

Miami /Coral Gables Map

Click on map for closer view.

From the North:

Take I-95 south until it becomes US 1 (Dixie Highway). Continue on US 1 to Red Road (S.W. 57th Avenue). Turn right on Red Road and continue to Miller Drive (S.W. 56th Street). Turn right on Miller Drive and continue until you reach San Amaro (Hurricane Drive), which borders the campus. Turn left at the traffic light on San Amaro. Proceed to the second entrance on your right. The officer in the information booth can direct you to available visitor parking.

 

From the South:

Take US 1 (Dixie Highway) north to Red Road (S.W. 57th Avenue). Turn left on Red Road and continue to Miller Drive (S.W. 56th Street). Turn right on Miller Drive and continue until you reach San Amaro (Hurricane Drive), which borders the campus. Turn left at the traffic light on San Amaro. Proceed to the second entrance on your right. The officer in the information booth can direct you to available visitor parking.

 

From the West:

Take the 826 (Palmetto Expressway) and exit at Miller Drive (S.W. 56th Street). Continue east on Miller Drive until you reach San Amaro (Hurricane Drive), which borders the campus. Turn left at the traffic light on San Amaro. Proceed to the second entrance on your right. The officer in the information booth can direct you to available visitor parking.

 

From the MetroRail:

Take the MetroRail to the University station. Cross Ponce de Leon Boulevard, which borders the campus, and turn right on Stanford Drive, which is north of the MetroRail station. Turn left on Stanford Drive and continue to the School of Law Complex.

Flying:

The University of Miami campus is located in Coral Gables and is accessible to Miami International Airport. Suggested transportation methods:

•  Supershuttle is available for approximately $11 per person and is located at the downstairs level, outside of baggage claim.
•  Taxi cab fare is approximately $15-$20 from  the airport to the University.

Driving from Miami International Airport:

Take LeJeune Road south for about five miles (through downtown Coral Gables); right on U.S. 1 and travel about 1.5 miles. Right on Red Road (S.W. 57th Avenue) to third light, Miller Road. Right on Miller (S.W. 56th Street) to end of road.  Turn left at the traffic light on San Amaro. Proceed to the second entrance on your right. The officer in the information booth can direct you to available visitor parking.

University of Miami
Coral Gables campus area map

Click on map for closer view.

•   Original University campus map (better view)
•   Detail of Law School area from original map 
•   Law School info from original map 

•   New University campus map
•   Detail of Law School area from new map
•   Law School info from new map

 

Parking

If you drove to campus you will need a place to park.  Parking is oftentimes scarce.  There are several options available to visitors.  If you contact us, we will make assist you in providing the appropriate passes.

Click for the University's Visitor Parking Information.

Acknowledgements

The University of Miami School of Law wishes to acknowledge the contribution of the following persons and institutions without whose assistance the collection or web site would not be available to the general public and who have contributed to its enhancement through reviews and commentaries:

The United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida
Miami, Florida

•  Suzan Ponzoli, AUSA
•  Thomas Watts-FitzGerald, AUSA
•  Maureen Donlan, AUSA

 

Aspen Systems Corporation
Rockville, Maryland

•  Dave Clemens, Project Manager 
•  Alberto F. Montero Valdes, Senior Paralegal
•  Nathan Mizzell, Senior Paralegal
•  Fern Matthews, Senior Paralegal

Credit:

Everglades photograph courtesy Philip Greenspun