Bill authorizing Drilling w/in 3 miles filed last night

SB 2622:

Session :Bills : : flsenate.gov

(b) Documentation stating that all equipment or structures
166 above the surface of the water and related to the development
167 and production of oil and gas within the territorial waters of
168 the state shall be situated no closer than 3 miles from the
169 coast as calculated from the line of mean high tide;

I believe they've found that back door.

yes, looks like it. I'm sure there were certain people we both know, keeping it wide-open!

I thought this was killed. What happened?

it was never dead...that's just what they wanted people to believe. Our own Senator Gaetz from Okaloosa County has not agreed to fight against it...they have no shame.

http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators...hamber=Senate&CFID=189040431&CFTOKEN=87452924

Session :Bills : : flsenate.gov


Time to get on the phones and raise some hell with your Senators. This isn't a good bill for Floridians. Problematic for the military, no assurance of any additional jobs for Floridians and as previously reported, no long term oil reserves. Seems like the good ole boys from texassss has stroked some of the suits in Tally....

Looks like a road trip to Tally is brewing.....

It's my understanding that the offshore oil drilling bill that passed in the House of Representatives in the last session does not carry over to the new session, that it will have to be reintroduced and voted on again in the House. However the bill did get through there very fast last session.

Arkiehawg, don't you have some phrase you like to hurl at the Lone Star folks?

senate bill 2622

It's my understanding that the offshore oil drilling bill that passed in the House of Representatives in the last session does not carry over to the new session, that it will have to be reintroduced and voted on again in the House. However the bill did get through there very fast last session.

The House passed it last year but Senate never took it up for vote. THis year, Senate has filed it, house will most certainly pass it once senate does, Gov. Christ is on record supporting it and we could have a new nearshore drilling law by July. Sen. Gaetz refuses to protect our beaches, our economy our military missions by speaking out against this bill and warning us of its last minute filing.

Arkiehawg, don't you have some phrase you like to hurl at the Lone Star folks?

Two words......Tuck Fexas

The House passed it last year but Senate never took it up for vote. THis year, Senate has filed it, house will most certainly pass it once senate does, Gov. Christ is on record supporting it and we could have a new nearshore drilling law by July. Sen. Gaetz refuses to protect our beaches, our economy our military missions by speaking out against this bill and warning us of its last minute filing.

Is the Gaetz that is running for the open House seat his son?

It's time for the Emerald Coast folks to make the Senator and HR candidate Gaetz understand that his/their actions will make the the Sansom debacle look like childs play......

The House passed it last year but Senate never took it up for vote. THis year, Senate has filed it, house will most certainly pass it once senate does, Gov. Christ is on record supporting it and we could have a new nearshore drilling law by July. Sen. Gaetz refuses to protect our beaches, our economy our military missions by speaking out against this bill and warning us of its last minute filing.

I see that there were several readings of the House bill last session and that the first vote was 69 against and 43 in favor on the first reading, with our area's legislation representatives voting no initially. Those numbers were pretty much reversed on the last reading, with 70 for and 43 against, and the bill passed. Do you think any votes might change the next time the House takes this up as a result of the public displays on the beaches in mid-February?

Is the Gaetz that is running for the open House seat his son?

It's time for the Emerald Coast folks to make the Senator and HR candidate Gaetz understand that his/their actions will make the the Sansom debacle look like childs play......

yes.

Unfortunately there are only a handful of Senators who are going to be working over time to stop this bill.

Right now, right here, and today you will watch as special interest money rolls over your right to representation like never before.

I see that there were several readings of the House bill last session and that the first vote was 69 against and 43 in favor on the first reading, with our area's legislation representatives voting no initially. Those numbers were pretty much reversed on the last reading, with 70 for and 43 against, and the bill passed. Do you think any votes might change the next time the House takes this up as a result of the public displays on the beaches in mid-February?

One vote in House only last session 2009. 70-43 was the vote in favor of drilling in State waters. All panhandle representatives, including Jimmy Patronis and Marti Coley, voted in favor of drilling in State waters. No panhandle representative is on the record opposing drilling. They talk of studying further and looking into military implications yet they voted for bill that allowed drilling and disregarded military missions already. If it passes Senate this session passing the house is sure to follow.

One vote in House only last session 2009. 70-43 was the vote in favor of drilling in State waters. All panhandle representatives, including Jimmy Patronis and Marti Coley, voted in favor of drilling in State waters. No panhandle representative is on the record opposing drilling. They talk of studying further and looking into military implications yet they voted for bill that allowed drilling and disregarded military missions already. If it passes Senate this session passing the house is sure to follow.

I'm sure you must be right about the one vote. I was going by information on the House of Representative Web site that showed a series of votes in connection with the bill. Maybe the votes were on amendments to the bill. I will give the link to show where I was coming from. (See bill history) It also may be helpful to see how representatives from areas other than the local area voted on this issue.

CS/CS/CS/HB 1219 - Regulation of State Lands and Oil and Gas Resources

I've already EMailed Sen. Gaetz, Rep. Coley, and Gov. Crist opposing SB 2622.

Lord knows, I get the strong feeling that a simple EMail is p#ssing against the wind.

Dave R. and friends, let's hear from you. What can we do to organize opposition to this bill? I'm not talking about a capitol steps demonstration. We now need a concerted effort to woo local government and civic organizations, business leaders, and others to show a broad, diverse, and united face.

Sadly, I don't think we can count on the military angle. It's probably safe to say that drilling will be protected in areas they oppose, but that the rest of us will be left dangling.

What about running ads in every region where a rep voted for the drilling? Real common sense message with facts that make the case for why this is bad for FL-

The revenue promised far exceeds what any other state has realized, no jobs are promised, the cost of gas will NOT go down, there are numerous documented instances of spills even with the new equipment/technology, states that allow drilling have tarballs on their beaches, etc

In the ad I would also suggest that reps who voted yes are being bought with special interest money by an anonymous group.

To email Crist:
Florida Governor Charlie Crist | Contact The Governor

To find and contact your state reps:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx?Address=&City=&Zip5=&

Online survey put out by state Senator Gaetz. Answer question #3 at a minimum-you can ignore all the others and still submit the survey!
http://www.gulf1.com/gaetz/2010Surrvey.asp

Petition shotgun blast:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-offshore-oil-drilling-in-florida

GET BUSY!!!

Polatricks!

What about running ads in every region where a rep voted for the drilling? Real common sense message with facts that make the case for why this is bad for FL-

The revenue promised far exceeds what any other state has realized, no jobs are promised, the cost of gas will NOT go down, there are numerous documented instances of spills even with the new equipment/technology, states that allow drilling have tarballs on their beaches, etc

The problem with this idea is the cost of ads. There is no way a grassroots effort will ever be able to compete with the oil industry in ads. There is no fundraising component to Hands Across the Sand. The grassroots can't compete on that level.

I've been trying to think of things that people could do to get their attention.

First, the special election for Matt Gaetz on the 23rd comes to mind. I know his opponents virtually gave up when he managed to raise (with no political experience) a heretofore unheard of amount of money for the Florida House in the first quarter -- $110,000 more than his closest opponent. It goes without saying that most of that money came from outside his district and his daddy's lobbyist contacts probably helped a bit. All of his opponents are Republican, but I am not sure if any of them are opposed to drilling. If so, maybe a money bomb and an outpouring of volunteers to get this one seat would make the political establishment rethink the assumption that supporting oil drilling is a politically safe bet.
Kabe Woods, Republican, for State House Representative, District 4

Another thought is a mass change of voter registration. I think a big reason our legislators don't listen to their constituents is because the Republican party is so dominant in this region. The party is a virtual political machine. Once a Republican is elected, his seat is virtually guaranteed for as long as he wants it. It's much more of a risk to anger the party leadership than to anger your constituents. It's almost as easy to change your voter registration as it is to send an email to your legislators. The best part of a change of registration is that it will actually send a message to the party leadership as well as the representative.
Update Registration

Wear your Hands t-shirt a lot.

Anyone else have any ideas?

The problem with this idea is the cost of ads. There is no way a grassroots effort will ever be able to compete with the oil industry in ads. There is no fundraising component to Hands Across the Sand. The grassroots can't compete on that level.

I've been trying to think of things that people could do to get their attention.

First, the special election for Matt Gaetz on the 23rd comes to mind. I know his opponents virtually gave up when he managed to raise (with no political experience) a heretofore unheard of amount of money for the Florida House in the first quarter -- $110,000 more than his closest opponent. It goes without saying that most of that money came from outside his district and his daddy's lobbyist contacts probably helped a bit. All of his opponents are Republican, but I am not sure if any of them are opposed to drilling. If so, maybe a money bomb and an outpouring of volunteers to get this one seat would make the political establishment rethink the assumption that supporting oil drilling is a politically safe bet.
Kabe Woods, Republican, for State House Representative, District 4

Another thought is a mass change of voter registration. I think a big reason our legislators don't listen to their constituents is because the Republican party is so dominant in this region. The party is a virtual political machine. Once a Republican is elected, his seat is virtually guaranteed for as long as he wants it. It's much more of a risk to anger the party leadership than to anger your constituents. It's almost as easy to change your voter registration as it is to send an email to your legislators. The best part of a change of registration is that it will actually send a message to the party leadership as well as the representative.
Update Registration

Wear your Hands t-shirt a lot.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Tarring and feathering comes to mind. Get it? Dam* 21st century sellout PO$ scalawags:angry: Its on!

Rapunzel, you might be surprised how affordable airing ads can be. Regional cable systems only charge $5 to $20 each time an ad runs. I believe it is $60 to run an ad during oprah here on our ABC affiliate. Food for thought...