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BIG-C says no to offshore drilling
By BOB MACPHERSON
| Article published on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 |
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TREASURE ISLAND – Leaders of all 11 barrier island municipalities unanimously agreed June 25 to reject an endorsement of oil drilling off Florida’s west coast.
The vote represents a unified stance of barrier island towns under the auspices of the Barrier Islands Governmental Council.
Although all municipal representatives in attendance at the meeting voiced strong concern for the potential adverse impacts offshore oil drilling would bring to barrier island beaches, some members felt information to make a fully informed opinion is lacking.
Clearwater City Council member George Cretekos said lack of information regarding the potential environmental damage of drilling from distances of 200 miles or so makes it difficult to make a truly informed opinion.
“We need more information because technology has changed and we are talking about drilling about 250 miles offshore,” he said.
Belleair Shore Mayor John Robertson also found fault with the lack of understandable information.
“I read the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the St. Petersburg Times every day and I still don’t know what the damage would be or not be,” he said.
Redington Beach Vice Mayor Mark Deighton said he and his wife were at a Texas beach where tar balls and other suspected residues from offshore drilling were found on the beach.
“We went in the water, saw how filthy it was and came right out,” he said.
Treasure Island Commissioner Phil Collins said drilling off the coast “is just a band-aid on the energy problem. We need to look for alternative energy uses.”
Collins’ take on the need for alternative energy sources in lieu of offshore drilling was met with a bevy of nodding heads.
According to information on the Internet, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has gone on record considering drilling off Florida’s coast if it is “far enough from Florida's coast, safe enough for our people and clean enough for our beaches.”
Current proposals call for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico between 100 to 150 miles offshore. The platforms would be out of sight. However, there is no absolute assurance that oil spills from such distant rigs would not affect the Gulf coast of Florida.
Beach renourishment funding
Elithia Stanfield, assistant Pinellas County administrator, briefed the BIG-C on beach renourishment funding.
Stanfield broke down the use of the tourist development tax into five fragments explaining that portions can be used for beach renourishment while other portions are restricted by law for non-beach uses such as planning and design of sport facilities and debt service on Tropicana Field.
Stanfield advised municipalities to take advantage of the flexible three-fifths of the money authorized for beach use while dipping into the fourth penny to advertise beach needs. She said the Federal Office of Management and Budget recommends zero money for beach renourishment, viewing it as a local responsibility.
“Pinellas County is dedicated to beach renourishment,” Stanfield said. “But reality says there will be a decrease in funding.”
She credited State Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, for getting dedicated document stamp funding for beach renourishment in 1998, which amounted to $30 million in 2000-01.
Sand Key Civic Association Beach Committee Chairman Nick Fritsch’s “Beach Facts” states that 13.9 million people came to Pinellas County in 2007, resulting in more than $6.6 billion dollars in jobs, purchases and taxes. In Pinellas County, 85,800 jobs are related to tourists who go to the beach, resulting in over $3 billion in salary and wages.
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Article published on Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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