{"id":130371,"date":"2026-01-24T13:42:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T13:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/130371\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T13:42:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T13:42:55","slug":"a-terrible-idea-local-stakeholders-unite-against-oil-drilling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/130371\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A terrible idea\u2019: Local stakeholders unite against oil drilling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration\u2019s plan to allow oil drilling<\/a> 100 miles off of Florida\u2019s coast received unified opposition from local elected officials, business owners and conservationists Friday.<\/p>\n

A diverse, bipartisan group of speakers warned against the irreversible environmental and financial damage posed by drilling operations. The event, held at Pier 60 Park on Clearwater Beach, was organized by the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce and the Don\u2019t Drill Florida Coalition.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said he \u201cdebated against state leaders\u201d on a similar proposal as a county commissioner in 2009. A few months later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill decimated marine life and ocean-based industries along the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat impact reached our beaches, our fisheries and our tourism economy,\u201d Welch said. \u201cThousands of jobs were lost. Millions of dollars washed away. Oil spills don\u2019t respect state lines or imaginary boundaries on a map.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimply put, for Florida, this is a terrible idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plans to reopen federal waters to new oil and gas leasing came to light Nov. 20. Chamber<\/a> CEO Charlie Justice said the proposed area in the eastern Gulf is \u201cdangerously close\u201d to Florida, and roughly the size of South Carolina.<\/p>\n

He also noted the proposal has united Floridians<\/a>, regardless of their ideological differences, during a \u201ctime of deep political division.\u201d Justice said oil drilling compromises military readiness, as the eastern Gulf of Mexico is a critical training ground for U.S. armed forces.<\/p>\n

The plan also endangers the state and local economy. Tourism generated a $10 billion economic impact and supported over 100,000 jobs in Pinellas County last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are not theoretical risks,\u201d Justice added. \u201cThese are real consequences for real people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event came hours before the proposal\u2019s public comment period at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector said he could not think of \u201ca more important non-partisan, bipartisan effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum previously said the proposal would help ensure that \u201cthe nation remains energy dominant for decades to come.\u201d Rector said opponents want to protect the area\u2019s natural beauty and \u201chuman life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that 100 miles does not provide a significant buffer. Hurricane Helene was the same distance away from Pinellas County\u2019s coast, and its storm surge inundated the area in September 2024.<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s tourism development tax, a 6% surcharge on overnight stays, generates over $90 million annually. That funding supports beach renourishment projects, area infrastructure and investments in local cultural institutions, Welch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA single major oil spill could shut all that down overnight,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if the spill affects the Panhandle or not \u2013 when folks think Florida is impacted, they cancel visits across the board. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch and his fellow speakers implored residents to oppose the proposal. \u201cOur Florida communities, and our way of life, are too important to risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Mayor Ken Welch (center) previously served on the Pinellas County Commission with Charlie Justice (right), CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce. Screengrab.<\/p>\n

Joe Handy, CEO of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium<\/a>, highlighted persistent environmental impacts stemming from the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found oil contamination present in every species of sea turtle tested 10 years later.<\/p>\n

The oil rig\u2019s explosion and subsequent leak killed 11 people, hundreds of thousands of turtles and over 1,100 dolphins. Handy said it was \u201cthe largest dolphin mass mortality event ever recorded in the northern Gulf.\u201d<\/p>\n

A University of South Florida study found that fish were also still affected by the spill a decade later. Captain Dustin Pack, owner of Fly Tide Charters<\/a>, stressed the importance of being proactive rather than reactive.<\/p>\n

He recalled the Piney Point incident in 2021 that led to over 200 million gallons of polluted water<\/a> discharging into Tampa Bay and the \u201clargest fish kill we\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d Pack noted that multiple media outlets reported on the dangers, \u201cbut nothing was done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal is to prevent an oil spill before it occurs by extending a longstanding ban. President Donald Trump considered reopening parts of the Gulf for drilling during his first term, but shelved the plan ahead of the 2020 elections due to bipartisan blowback.<\/p>\n

Pack encouraged anyone listening to research the Taylor Energy oil spill<\/a>, which occurred off the coast of Louisiana in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan slammed into a rig. It took 15 years for the government and private contractors to contain most of the leak.<\/p>\n

However, some oil continues spilling from the site. Alika Esperson, co-lead at genCLEO<\/a>, hopes to avoid those generational impacts in Florida.<\/p>\n

Her youth-led, statewide organization focuses on climate advocacy. Esperson said over 10,000 young people agree that \u201cwe need permanent protections\u201d from drilling.<\/p>\n

She encourages stakeholders to support the Florida Coastal Protection Act, which, if passed, would permanently prohibit offshore oil and gas operations. The bipartisan federal bill was introduced in August 2025; its sponsors include local U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have to fight the same threat again and again,\u201d Esperson said. \u201cWe need lasting solutions that don\u2019t disappear with the next plan or the next administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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