of all the national park lands in the southeastern states , none is nearest to a major urban community or more beset with them than the everglades , a shallow , 50 - feet - wide rivers of grass that continues south from lake okeechobee to florida harbor . for more than a time , this fragile civil wonder has been captured hostage by a web of special interests - - farmers , sportsmen and about 6 million southwestern beach residents in excess of drinking water and flood control - - that is as complex as the city itself .
The Everglades is 50-mile wide.