Judge says Buddhist group can sue over Everglades construction project
A local Buddhist group was granted a small win in its attempt to halt an Everglades’ restoration project the group claims would infringe on the religious beliefs of its members.
A federal judge Tuesday denied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai International-USA, that was filed earlier this year.
In the lawsuit, the Florida Nature and Culture Center (FNCC)— a Buddhist spiritual center owned and operated by Soka Gakkai — says nearby construction on the water restoration project would have “adverse impacts” on the retreat center and disturb its members’ ability to practice their religious beliefs, including meditation.
The Buddhist group claims in the lawsuit that the impacts from the years-long Everglades project will render the property “functionally useless for its sole intended purpose: a religious retreat center for SGI-USA’s members.”
The project that’s being challenged is headed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the construction arm of the federal government, and plans to turn a huge swath of neighboring land into a nature-based buffer called the C-11 impoundment area.
The project is designed to hold water inside the boundaries of the Everglades without flooding neighbors — like the center or the residential community of Southwest Ranches — and to keep polluted water running off oil-slicked streets in the urban area away from the fragile wetlands to the west.
In December, the Army Corps tried to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the project has been in the works for 15 years, and that the Buddhist Center could have filed their case as early as 2012 when the Corps first evaluated the environmental impacts of the project.
Yet, the courts sided with the Buddhist center, noting that Congress funded the project in 2022 and didn’t make a final decision to proceed with the project until 2023, extending the statute of limitations.
“Our aim is to force the Corps to do what it knows the law requires it to do: design, construct and operate the Impoundment based on a full, public and transparent evaluation of the Project’s impacts on the surrounding environment, particularly on the [Florida Nature and Culture Center], which directly borders the Project,” Soka Gakkai wrote in a statement.
The Army Corps declined to comment to the Miami Herald, citing the ongoing litigation.
Everglades construction may ‘destroy peace’
Soka Gakkai International-USA is a Buddhist community established in the 1930s that’s based on the philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism, a practice that teaches people to “overcome suffering, live fulfilled lives and contribute to peace in the world,” according to the group’s website. Soka Gakkai members gather to study Buddhist principles, like practicing nonviolence and taking social action, and their practice consists of prayers, chanting and self-reflection in nature to achieve spiritual growth.
Tranquility in nature is particularly important to the Buddhist community, the lawsuit says, which is why the group is attempting to halt the construction, which they claim would disturb their religious practices.
“The noise, vibration, dust, heavy construction equipment vehicle emissions, and other adverse impacts, beginning now and throughout the at least nine-year construction process, destroy or materially impair the peace, natural harmony, and oneness with nature necessary to [SGI’s] practice of their religious beliefs as they have for several undisturbed decades,” the Buddhist group wrote in an emergency motion attempting to halt construction.
Soka Gakkai purchased the land in 1996, reserving one-third of the property for wetland conservation. The rest of the land includes campus facilities such as dormitories, dining halls, conference centers for Buddhist study and several religious altars used for prayer. The campus hosts at least 30 religious retreats per year, which are attended by thousands of SGI Buddhists, according to the lawsuit.
Soka Gakkai also alleged in the suit that the Army Corps did not properly consider the impacts of its construction projects on nearby areas — despite years of conversations between the two entities and several guided tours on the Weston property.
“The Corps must take into account the safety and sanctity of our property, environment, the spiritual activities of our members and the broader community,” SGI wrote in a statement. “We seek a balanced approach that aligns the environmental goals of the Project with the protection of our religious and spiritual activities.”
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
