'Kill the Drill' bill clears the Florida Senate. Now it's heading to the House with changes
A proposed ban on oil and gas drilling near the Apalachicola River and Bay is nearing final passage after the state Senate approved an amended version of the bill on Wednesday.
Widespread opposition to the threat of exploratory oil drilling near the Apalachicola River has resulted in legislative victories for the “Kill the Drill” movement in both the Florida House and Senate.
On Wednesday, the state Senate passed (37-1) a proposed ban that would protect the area near the river that’s under threat of drilling, with a last-minute change added by state Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee).
The original House bill would’ve prohibited drilling within 10 miles of any of the state’s three National Estuarine Research Reserves, while the Senate’s amended version would limit that area to cover only state-designated rural and cash-strapped counties that fall within the 10-mile buffer zone.
In the Panhandle, the new areas off-limits to drilling would lie in Gulf, Franklin, Liberty and Calhoun Counties, Simon explained to his colleagues in the Senate.
The Apalachicola National Research Reserve covers 52 river miles and the entire bay, stretching into parts of Franklin, Liberty and Calhoun Counties. And a 10-mile buffer around the reserve would extend some of the protected area into Gulf County.
But counties surrounding the state’s two other research reserves, located in northeast and southwest Florida, wouldn’t be protected from drilling threats.
“This amendment would limit the area in which drilling is prohibited to reduce exposure to potential takings claims,” said Simon, who was referring to possible litigation over property rights that could result from the legislation.
With less than two weeks left in the regular lawmaking session, the amended bill is heading back to the House for a final vote.
If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the measure, it would take effect on July 1.
The legislation would also require state environmental officials to consider additional potential harms to ecologically sensitive areas when deciding whether to issue a drilling permit.
“It will safeguard Florida's critical coastal ecosystems,” said state Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe), who sponsored the House version of the bill. “It enhances oversight.”
‘Kill the Drill’ movement pressured state lawmakers to act
Last year, the state Department of Environmental Protection approved a draft permit to allow Clearwater Land and Minerals LLC to look for oil in a wooded area of Calhoun County that falls within the Apalachicola River’s floodplain.
The move got pushback from environmental advocates, small business owners, local elected officials and residents who live along the Big Bend coastline.
More than a thousand letters were sent to the governor’s office and state environmental officials, a protest was held outside DEP’s headquarters in Tallahassee and a legal challenge was filed — all in an effort to stop the exploratory drilling plan.
“It was an organic response by people here in this area who just were devastated by this possibility,” said Rep. Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee), who co-sponsored the original House version of the bill.
The grassroots movement behind the opposition is known as “Kill the Drill,” which got underway last summer at a fundraising event for Sen. Corey Simon hosted by Republicans in Franklin County.
For the last several months, yellow, orange and blue signs with the slogan “Kill the Drill” have been displayed in yards across the region, including in Tallahassee.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Simon explained that Franklin and Gulf Counties along the state’s “Forgotten Coast” have struggled fiscally due to the closing of the Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting and the tourism slump following the 2010 BP Oil Spill.
The last thing residents want to see is another threat to their local economy in the form of drilling near the waterway, he said.
“This will go a long way in making sure that the Apalachicola Bay can return back to its former self.”