Friends of the Everglades taps TCPalm opinion chief Eve Samples as executive director

Friends of the Everglades, an environmental group started in 1969 by the late Marjory Stoneman Douglas, has a new location and new leadership.

The nonprofit recently moved to Stuart from Miami and its new executive director will be Stuart resident Eve Samples, the opinion and engagement editor for the USA TODAY-Network Florida. She begins her new post Feb. 4. 

“After two decades in journalism, I can’t think of a more fitting mission to pivot to,” Samples said Tuesday. “In the last 10 years, I’ve focused on advocating for the estuaries, Lake Okeechobee, the greater Everglades and cleaner water in Florida in general. This feels like a natural next act.”

Douglas, author of "The Everglades: River of Grass," was a journalist at the Miami Herald early in her career.

“I’m kind of following in her footsteps,” Samples said of her shift from journalism to activism.

Samples and Douglas share many similarities "both in stature and intrinsic desire to do good," said Blair Wickstrom, vice president of the Friends of the Everglades board and publisher of the Sewall's Point-based Florida Sportsman magazine. 

"Through Eve’s considerable work covering the seemingly purposefully complicated Everglades restoration process, it's clear she has an understanding of the issues of Everglades restoration," Wickstrom said. "She has the ability to communicate with the public and she seems willing to embrace the dynamic ... partnership that Friends of the Everglades and Bullsugar.org have established."

Samples replaces Alex Gillen, who became executive director when the Friends merged with the Bullsugar Alliance, the nonpolitical wing of Bullsugar in June.

"We'll leave political advocacy to Bullsugar while we spread awareness of the environmental issues facing the state," Samples said. "We will, however, get politicians to realize the long-term effects of their actions, or inactions."

Friends in Stuart

Moving the organization to Stuart, Wickstrom said, was an "effort to unite all three estuaries: the east, west and south. It was important to expand Friends of the Everglades' influence outside of the South Florida area. Having all three estuaries unified around the idea of operational change of how Lake Okeechobee is managed is thought to be key in the success of Everglades restoration."

Wickstrom column: Game-changing revelations from water management officials

Samples called Stuart "the epicenter of Florida's environmental activism; and I'm from Miami."

Born in Miami, Samples received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She's worked as a journalist on the Treasure Coast with TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers and the Palm Beach Post.

In her most recent post, Samples managed the opinion staff not only on the Treasure Coast but at five other Gannett-owned publications in the state: the Tallahassee Democrat, FLORIDA TODAY in Melbourne, the Pensacola News Journal, The News-Press in Fort Myers and the Naples Daily News. 

"Eve is one of the most tenacious and respected journalists I know, someone who I often turned to when I needed an honest opinion on anything," said Adam Neal, news director for TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers. "We will all miss her, but wish her the best as she takes the love she developed for environmental advocacy journalism to Friends of Everglades."

One of the things Samples said she is most proud of during her tenure at TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers is how, "in 2013, we doubled down on our coverage of the Indian River Lagoon and we truly had an impact on state environmental policies. We were, like the Friends of the Everglades, small but mighty."

Samples column:Think big to save our rivers and the Everglades

The mission of nonpolitical Friends of the Everglades is to "preserve, protect and restore the only Everglades in the world," according to the group's website.

Over the years, the Friends group has been involved in several legal actions to stop "back pumping" water into Lake Okeechobee from lands to the south and require proper treatment of water sent to the Everglades from the Everglades Agricultural Area.

The Friends will continue to "get involved in legal action when necessary," Samples said.

An immediate concern is the Florida Legislature's session that began Tuesday.

Samples column:How to make sure DeSantis follows through 

"We'll be watching (state Sen. Debbie) Mayfield's 'Clean Waterways Act,' " Samples said, referring to the Indialantic Republican's bill with a wide range of environmental provisions. 

The Friends, Samples said, will "push for environmental policies that benefit the people of Florida, not special interest groups. For too long, special interests have pushed water policies in Florida. Our goal is to change that."

The Friends group itself isn't a special interest, Samples said.

"We are, and always have been, a grassroots organization," she said.