Special Session Called on Drilling

This news is long overdue, but quite welcome. Gov. Charlie Crist, according to the St. Petersburg Times, has called a special session of the Florida Legislature to debate placing a drilling ban on the ballot this year. If passed by voters, that would make a prohibition against oil drilling part of the Florida Constitution.

Of note, state waters extend 10 miles from the Florida coastline, so this wouldn't affect deepwater drilling. That is the perview of the federal government. And as we know too well now, our coasts can be threatened by an oil disaster hundreds of miles away from the coast. But this ban remains vitally important to protecting Florida's economy and ecology. Recall it was less than two years ago when the Florida House voted to give the Cabinet power to allow drilling as close as three miles from shore. That measure died in the Senate, thanks to Senate President Jeff Atwater, but was a significant demonstration of how much power big oil had harnessed in Tallahassee.

I lamented some time ago about the shift in Florida politics from a point when nearly every major political leader, from Jeb Bush down, was committed to saving our shores to a point where most state leaders, including Charlie Crist, favored oil exploration. Public opinion, sadly, also shifted rightward on this topic through the years. But the Deepwater Horizon disaster changed that. And I believe politicians recognize that. The most obvious sign, of course, is Crist, whose positions are historically less consistent than gelatin. Almost instantly after the BP explosion, Charlie changed his tune on oil, and within days touted opposition to drilling as a platform leg in his Senate run, leaving the impression to the ignorant that he fought offshore drilling for years.

But perhaps his chameleon-like change of mind can serve as leadership for our state lawmakers. Many who supported drilling in 2009 left voters back home aghast and confused. And that support for drilling was granted when most people in Florida supported drilling, and when re-election runs were more than a year away. That is not true today.

This session will run from July 20-23. Even if it runs long, a vote will have to be taken before Aug. 4 for a referendum to appear on the ballot this year. The next important date to consider is Aug. 24, when many lawmakers face voters in primary elections. The general election is Nov. 2.

Obviously, there will be politicians who confidently cast votes against a referendum regardless of statewide polls or the impending doom in the Gulf. Some represent inland counties, or extremely conservative areas. Amazingly, polls have shown the Panhandle to have the most enduring support for drilling, despite the fact tar is on those shores today. But my guess is most lawmakers will not want to vote in favor of oil company interests ahead of the needs and desires of most Floridians.

And everybody who does cast a vote against the ban will be on record doing so. The press will skewer them. The public will scorn them. And they will get a battering at the polls that has never been more deserved.