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Highlands Today

Charlie Crist, Leave Florida's Beaches Alone

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Highlands Today staff

Published: June 20, 2008

We know, we know. Gov. Charlie Crist apparently wants to be John McCain's running mate so bad that he is parroting his proposals, even if they are fiscally bad and potentially harmful for Florida.

First was the idea of freezing gas taxes for the summer. It sounded too politically convenient and died a natural death like it should have.

But the second salvo — letting states decide if offshore drilling for petroleum reserves works for them — has more ominous implications.

Just last year, Crist had urged federal lawmakers to reject legislation, which they did, that would have allowed drilling as close as 45 miles off Florida's beaches. He also supported the moratorium during his 2006 campaign for governor.

Now, he's talking about state rights and local control in supporting the lifting of the federal moratorium on oil drilling. What's that got to do with protecting Florida's biggest industry — tourism — and its biggest asset — its beaches and natural beauty — or whatever is left of it.

One oil spill can send tourists away for good and mar the state's natural resources. So why even open the door to the potential calamity?

Sure, gas prices are breaking our backs. They are affecting food prices, are hurting jobs and changing our lifestyle.

But offshore drilling for gas is not the answer to energy independence.
Even if oil companies drilled off our coasts, it would take years before any possible gas ended up in our gas tanks. And who knows, they might decide to sell the gas outside of the United States like they are doing with the oil being drilled in Alaska. It's being pipelined to Japan.

Now consider the economic implications of losing tourism revenue.
In 2006, 84.6 million visitors vacationed in the Sunshine State and spent more than $65 billion. More than 981,000 Floridians are directly employed in tourism, which also generates 18 percent of the state's annual sales tax revenues.

What's the point in giving up real money that comes in every year for a theoretical gain that may never happen?

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