Local officials speak out against potential drilling near the Apalachicola River
Local government leaders in Franklin and Gulf Counties are voicing opposition to a potential exploratory oil and gas permit near the waterway.

Local elected officials in Gulf and Franklin Counties are pushing back against potential drilling near the Apalachicola River.
In April, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection signaled its intent to allow Clearwater Land & Minerals LLC to conduct exploratory oil drilling near the river in Calhoun County. Drilling would take place in the river’s floodplain, an area that’s surrounded by wetlands, if the company’s permit application is approved.
Residents who live downriver have expressed concerns about the potential harms of drilling near the waterway, such as drinking water contamination, as well as threats to shellfish farming, fishing and the local tourism economy. In response, local elected officials in two counties and three cities are urging the state to deny the drilling permit application.
In Gulf County, the primary concern among residents is possible contamination to their drinking water.
“We get all of our city’s water from the Chipola River,” said Port St. Joe Mayor Rex Buzzett. “Anything that could affect that watershed is detrimental to us.”
The Apalachicola River, which is about a mile from the proposed drilling site, connects to the Chipola River.
“They’ve tried it before,” Buzzett said, referring to the department’s past approval of drilling permits near the waterway in Calhoun County in 2019. “I was against it before, and I’m against it now.”
Port St. Joe, along with the unincorporated communities of St. Joe Beach, Beacon Hill, Overstreet, Highland View and Wind Mark Beach, get their drinking water from the Chipola River.
Buzzett sent a letter to DEP on behalf of the Port St. Joe City Commission last week after commissioners unanimously agreed to notify the department of their opposition to drilling near the river.
“Any industrial activity in the Apalachicola River System poses a potential catastrophic risk to our city’s water system and the citizens of our city,” he wrote in a letter sent to the department earlier this month. “Further, St. Joseph Bay is the economic engine that drives the city, and any potential contamination of its waters could affect our economy and way of life for decades.”
Wewahitchka Mayor Phillip Gaskin also sent a letter to DEP after city commissioners unanimously voted to urged the department to deny the drilling permit earlier this month.
“Exploratory wells have an inherent risk of releasing chemicals into the wetlands and being carried into the river,” Gaskin wrote. “Those toxins could be carried into the water and downstream in periods of heavy rain, flooding, or extreme weather events.”
Gaskin added that drilling would require thousands of gallons of water to be removed from the river, which is “a central economic driver” to the city.
The river is a designated Outstanding Florida Water, which gets special protections under state law. State law bans any activity that would “significantly degrade” those waterways unless it’s “clearly in the public interest.” In 2023, the Apalachicola Bay Protection Act was also enacted, setting aside $25 million for water quality protection measures.
“Oil exploration in the river basin directly threatens the spirit and letter of these acts,” Gaskin wrote.
On Tuesday, Gulf County commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter voicing opposition to the drilling permit.
“We were kind of late to the game,” said Commissioner Sandy Quinn, the board’s chairman. “Once we got the information and did a little digging, we had a commissioner bring it up [for a vote].”
Quinn says he’s hopeful a letter will be drafted and sent to the department by Wednesday. “We are concerned because we don’t want any of those contaminants to enter our drinking water,” he said, adding that drilling up the river would bring “no benefit” to the county.
The Apalachicola Riverkeeper is considering filing a petition for an administrative hearing, challenging the drilling permit application.
“If that does happen, your letter is going to be absolutely vital,” said Deborah Mays, with the Gulf County Citizens Coalition for a Healthy Future, speaking to county commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting. “That’s why we’re so grateful that you voted that way.”
If a legal challenge is filed and succeeds, then the department could refuse to issue a permit.
In Franklin County, the city of Apalachicola and the county have sent nearly identical letters to the state Department of Environmental Protection, urging the department to the deny Clearwater’s drilling permit application.
“Our residents rely on a healthy bay for commercial fishing and tourism, which includes recreational fishing and numerous beach-related activities,” local officials explained in both letters sent to DEP.
The Apalachicola River empties into the Apalachicola Bay, which borders both the county and city.
The county and city governments list several concerns about drilling in that area, including:
The fact that the river is a protected “Outstanding Florida Waterway”
The risk of toxins entering the waterway during flooding, heavy rains or extreme weather events
The location of the drilling site in the river’s floodplain, especially since the water elevation “has twice risen higher than the estimated 100-year flood stage in the past 25 years”
The risk of chemicals entering the wetlands and ending up in the river
The threat to Apalachicola Bay, at a time when the state is investing in restoring its wild oyster habitat
The removal of “thousands of gallons of water per day” for drilling activities
The “significant risk” of damaging the water quality of the river and bay