OIL & WATER: Once unthinkable, public and political opinion on the drilling issue may be changing

TALLAHASSEE -- On April 21, a tremor hit Florida’s political landscape.

On that day, with less than two weeks left in a tense, budget-constrained legislative session, Rep. Dean Cannon took the wraps off a then-startling proposal: An amendment offered by the Winter Park Republican would grant the state’s Cabinet power to lease sovereign Florida waters — roughly between 3 and 10 miles off the coast — for oil and natural-gas exploration.

The impetus behind Cannon’s proposal: the economic crisis gripping the state.

With more than 1 million people out of work statewide and gasoline prices as high as $3.50 a gallon, legislators and voters were willing to pause to consider what drilling might offer.

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“It’s being served up as the economy vs. the environment,” said Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples. “I think we need to be always cautious of the environment but right now we need to do something to create more jobs, more revenue for the state of Florida.”

Cannon’s proposal passed the House 70-43 a week after it was introduced last spring. Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, then refused to take it up in the waning days of the session.

But get ready for more.

In 2010, the dynamic is set to repeat itself, with a willing House pressing a reluctant Senate to act.

And in 2011, with the two men who will preside over the House and Senate ardent proponents of drilling exploration, the issue is almost sure to be a key issue.

‘Shooting craps’

A two-decade ban on drilling reflected conventional political wisdom: Floridians didn’t want drilling off their beaches. The Sunshine State’s pristine beaches and $60 billion tourism industry were too precious to risk.

But public opinion has evolved, reflected in Gov. Charlie Crist’s 2008 pronouncement that drilling was worth considering.

“For a long time, people have said it’s outside the realm of possibility so we’re just not going to do it,” said Rep. Dave Murzin, R-Pensacola.

“But they’ve dangled the string of money, they have dangled the string of jobs, and there are some real possibilities. You look to the west of us and you see income for the state, you see jobs being created.”

The idea also is being pressed forward by more than changing public opinion.

Florida Energy Associates LLC, a group of unidentified interests, has spent more than $369,000 on lobbyists and political contributions pushing for drilling. Studies and presentations commissioned by the group and other proponents of drilling paint the possibility of billions in state revenue and tens of thousands of new jobs, all built on a premise that’s unknown, but tantalizing.

Sen. Durell Peaden, a Crestview Republican, is among those who remain opposed.

“Drilling for oil in Florida is like shooting craps, a big gamble,” he said. “The benefits they’re promising might be 20 years down the road, might be 50 years down the road. They’re selling it as the solution to our problems right now.”

Peaden worked in research for Texaco in New Orleans before becoming a doctor and an opponent of drilling.

“I think there’s some public policy in Florida that shouldn’t be for sale,” he said.

2010 and beyond

Experts think it’s likely there’s oil and gas in Florida’s Gulf of Mexico waters, but no one knows.

Atwater has called for extensive study to answer details missing, or disputed, in the debate.

The 2010 regular legislative session is a little over three months away, and his go-slow strategy is now little more than a tactic in the annual stand-off between House and Senate priorities.

But the next presiding officers of the House and Senate, Speaker-designate Cannon and President-designate Mike Haridopolos of Merritt Island, are chief proponents of exploration.

That means no matter what happens in the coming legislative session — expanded gambling, high-speed rail and the state budget are already certain to eat up big chunks of time — the drilling debate will stay when they take over after the November 2010 elections.

Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, whose district extends to Panama City, said coastal residents are generally opposed to drilling.

But in an election year, he said, many legislators can sell the argument of jobs and new revenue to their constituents rather than making more controversial and difficult tax and program decisions.

“This measure is being sold as a way to generate income for the state,” Lawson said. “Members seem to be afraid to do what we really need to do — to have meaningful tax reform to help stabilize the economy.”

Bill Cotterell contributed to this story.