KATHLEEN PASSIDOMO: Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, Miccosukee Tribe, and others lauded by Audubon Florida

WGCU

November 23, 2025

Kathleen Passidomo, a Republican from Naples and the former president of the Florida Senate, was given Audubon Florida’s Theodore Roosevelt Award at the group’s annual state conservation ceremony.

Beth Alvi, Audubon Florida’s senior policy director, said Passidomo was the state’s top decision-maker fitting the award’s requirements of courageous leadership on environmental issues.

"Audubon Florida honored Senate President Kathleen Passidomo for her steadfast leadership in conservation and in good governance,” Alvia said. “Throughout her career Senator Passidomo has proven the two go hand in hand leaving a lasting legacy in the special places she has protected.”

More than 250 conservationists and citizen advocates were in the audience at Audubon Florida’s 2025 Assembly. The state program of the National Audubon Society recognized people the group considers key environmental leaders from Naples to Orlando, and Tampa Bay to Panama City, at the annual event last month.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida was awarded the Champion of the Everglades honor. The tribe helped launch a breeding program for the Cape Sabal seaside sparrow to increase its dwindling population due to habitat loss and sea level rise.

“The tribe’s leadership and commitment have been essential to advancing conservation strategies that honor both ecological restoration and cultural resilience,” Julie Wraithmell, director of Audubon Florida, said. That is “ensuring that this rare bird and the Everglades ecosystem it depends upon have a chance to recover and thrive for generations to come.”

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