The Florida Everglades The Everglades is a unique treasure found in South Florida. The Everglades is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States. It consists of 1.5 million acres of saw grass marshes, mangrove forests, and hardwood hammocks dominated by wetlands. It is home to endangered, rare, and exotic wildlife. Origins of the Everglades Water in South Florida once flowed from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee.