The Miami blue butterfly is one of the rarest insects in the United States, found only in a few isolated pockets of coastal Florida. Once common across the state, this dazzling, electric-blue species is now teetering on the edge of extinction. And yet, the Trump administration is proposing to remove a key protection that helps prevent it from disappearing forever.

Right now, the Endangered Species Act includes protections for look-alike species—non-endangered butterflies that resemble the Miami blue and live in the same areas. These protections stop accidental collection or killing by researchers, hobbyists, or pesticide applicators who can't tell the difference. Without these safeguards, the Miami blue faces a much greater risk of being unintentionally wiped out.

Removing these protections offers no clear benefit to the public. It doesn’t help homeowners, businesses, or local governments. But it does put one of Florida's most imperiled species in danger at a time when every individual counts.

We call on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Governor Ron DeSantis, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to reject this proposal and preserve full protections for the Miami blue butterfly and its look-alikes. We have to protect Florida's biodiversity —and our laws must reflect that.