Florida Today
Editorial
“Hands Across The Sand”
Florida Today
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The aggressive push for oil drilling off Florida’s shores is backed by a coalition of powerful, well financed business interests – Florida Energy Associates. They are working with out of state oil interests seeking to drill for oil and gas off the coast of the Florida. They’ve hired professionals, the best and most influential money can buy. Among those professionals are former aides to Governors Jeb Bush and Lawton Chiles who both opposed oil derricks. Now these same people are trying to convince us that dirty and dangerous offshore oil drilling is now clean and desirable.
We’ve had a sensible moratorium against offshore oil drilling for the past 20 years and since 2002 Florida tax payers have paid $127 million dollars to oil companies to buy up their offshore leases because clean, sandy beaches are our greatest asset. Listen to the Texans who carry solvents in their beach bags. For once, let this be a case where the one with the deepest pockets didn’t win. Let them spend their $$$ exploring clean energy alternatives.
On Saturday February 13th “The Citizens of Florida will have an opportunity to show their opposition to oil drilling as close as 3 to 10 miles off our coast.” Hands Across the Sand is a movement “made of people of all walks of life and will cross political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our tourism, our valuable properties and our way of life. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting our waterways and beaches from the devastating effects of oil drilling.”
http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/index.php
Join fellow Brevard County residents on Saturday Feb. 13th at 12:30 pm (rain or shine) at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach for this important Statewide event. Bring your friends and family to show how much you love our beaches and want them protected. We will participate in a beach clean up and at 1:00pm form a line, and join hands in the sand for 10 minuets against oil drilling in our coastal waters. Participants are encouraged to wear black to represent “tar balls”.
Lori Wilson Park is located about a mile and a half south of S.R. 520 on A1A in Cocoa Beach. This is south of the Cocoa Beach Pier. There is no fee to park.
INFO: http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/index.php
CONTACT: Linda Behret lindyb@cfl.rr.com or 321-639-7302.
Supporting local organizations include the Space Coast Progressive Alliance SpaceCoastrogressiveAlliance.org and Brevard NOW BrevardNOW.org.