Drilling ban should go to Florida voters, Democrats say

Democratic lawmakers are calling for a state constitutional amendment to prohibit drilling for oil and gas in Florida's territorial waters, from shore to 12 miles out.

State Reps. Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg and Keith Fitzgerald of Sarasota asked Gov. Charlie Crist to declare a special session of the Legislature to place the question on the Nov. 2 ballot so voters can decide the issue.

"Our goal today is to make today the beginning of the end of the oil drilling debate," Kriseman said during a news conference this morning at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort. "We can no longer trust the Republican leadership to drive the energy agenda."

State Rep. Dan Gelber, a Democratic candidate for state attorney general and former House minority leader, made a similar announcement today in Miami.

Asked for Crist's reaction, spokesman Sterling Ivey said the governor "is not interested in any drilling off of Florida."

Ivey said that position could take any number of forms and indicated the governor might be open to a special session.

The push by the Democrats comes in the aftermath of a giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that continues to threaten much of the state of Florida. The oil is spilling as debate was coming to a head over whether to open Florida's waters to drilling.

Said Fitzgerald: "Now we know what the real risks are."

The Legislature wrapped up its spring session Friday with no action on the issue. But before the April 20 blowout on the offshore rig Deepwater Horizon, the men scheduled to lead the House and Senate next year had been working to make it happen.

House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon has proposed lifting Florida's long-standing ban on offshore drilling in state waters, as close as three miles to shore. Pushed by oil and gas producers, Cannon's plan passed the House in 2009 but stalled in the Senate.

Cannon, who takes control of the House in 2011, has said he plans to introduce a revised version of his legislation and future Senate President Mike Haridopolos has pledged to make a similar proposal.

The two came in for criticism from Kriseman and Fitzgerald today, including Haridopolos' recent reference to sabotage in a list of conceivable causes for the blowout. Haridopolos made the comment while urging patience as the search for a cause continues.

Said Kriseman, "This is simply crazy talk."

Asked why the Democrats aren't urging a drilling ban even farther off Florida's shores, the representatives said they can't; the Legislature only has jurisdiction over Florida waters.