A measure that would ban oil drilling in the Apalachicola River Basin has reached the governor’s desk. In the city of Apalachicola, some 200 people recently rallied in support of the measure--saying their livelihoods and way of life are in the governor’s hands.
**Crowd noise from rally**
A crowd of hundreds spills out of the Apalachicola Yacht Club and into the street where local oysters and beer are flowing. Members of the crowd are calling on Governor Ron DeSantis to sign the measure.
Monte Akin, an oyster farmer in Apalachicola and Alligator Harbor, was among them.
“Apalachicola Bay particularly will be negatively impacted by any drilling for oil, whether directly or by the negative associations that may impact tourism," he said.
Akin read from a letter he’d sent to DeSantis, speaking proudly of his military service.
“I implore you as my governor to pass this bill that will protect not just my oyster farms, but the way of life that I served to protect,” he said.
The bill would ban drilling, exploration, or production of petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve—like the Apalachicola Bay.
The measure followed the application by a Louisiana-based company, Clearwater Land and Mineral LLC, for a permit to drill in the river basin last year. The proposal raised concerns for environmentalists as well as people in the seafood industry who say they remember the impact of the 2010 B.P oil spill, which wrought havoc on their industry. They worry that allowing drilling so close to the bay could open the door for another disaster.
Ottice Amison is a Franklin County Commissioner and the owner of Amison Seafood. He says the bay’s been closed to the wild harvesting of oysters since 2020, in part to make up for damage caused by the oil spill years before.
“We’ve spent millions of dollars, five years of closure," he said. "And we just feel that it’s fickle to even take a chance on having some type of devastation that’s already such a -- I’m not sure what the word is -- a real fickle environment. That bay can be, it’s touchy. You can just have different water flows with freshwater and it can have such a diverse effect on it. You can just imagine what it would be if you had an accidental spill.”
Apalachicola City Commissioner Adriane Elliott is an eighth-generation resident of the Forgotten Coast. She shares Amison’s concerns. Just in her lifetime, she says, the area has declined, due to disasters like the BP oil spill and Hurricane Michael. But she sees the so-called “kill the drill” bill as a solution.
“This is one thing that we can stop," she said. "It takes one signature to make sure that all of our property rights, all of the heritage, all of our work, all of the funding, the public interest that has been invested by not just us in this community, not just our legislators -- but by our entire state.”
Some participants at the rally say they’ve heard rumors the governor could veto the measure, but Adrianne Johnson of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association says DeSantis has invested so much in the bay already that it makes sense for him to sign the bill.
“I think that he, under his governorship, has invested millions of dollars to help restore the bay, and so, I think that this bill aligns with those values," said Johnson. "So, I think that’s part of what we -- as far as his track record -- that will continue. And that’s what we’re hoping for.”
An administrative law judge has denied one of Clearwater’s permits, and the Department of Environmental Protection then did the same. But environmentalists say Clearwater has more permits for drilling in the area pending. Johnson says if DeSantis signs the bill, the river basin will be protected in the longer term. Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith also supports the measure.
“I have complete confidence in our governor. He’s a good governor. He’s going to do the right thing. I don’t have any doubt.” :08 Sheriff Smith speaking at the rally
Not everyone supports the legislation as it stands. As the bill moved through the House of Representatives, Eric Hamilton, associate director of the American Petroleum Institute, said he appreciated its environmental concerns, but thought the 10-mile barrier was too far.
“I just want to express our support for the environmental side of the bill. We are talking about very environmentally sensitive areas, and that’s good," he said. "We do have issues with the setback, the 10-mile setback. It seems rather far to us.”
Hamilton said in April that he was opposing the bill and hoped for a compromise. But the 10-mile barrier is included in the measure now on the governor’s desk.
