Posted on 06/24/2008 4:47:48 PM PDT by kellynla
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. -- Neighbors Jo Ellen Sharp and Kristin Jenkins stood beside each other after a day on the beach of this barrier island, divided by the thought that Florida's corner of the Gulf of Mexico could some day be dotted by gigantic oil rigs.
This is such a big part of our economy and our lifestyle; nobody is going to come here if there is drilling," said Ms. Sharp, 39 years old, who runs a marketing firm with her husband.
Ms. Jenkins quickly cut in. "Do what you've got to do," the 35-year-old schoolteacher said. "If it's going to help with gas prices, as long as they put it far enough out that we don't see it."
Consumer anger over high gasoline prices is driving a reconsideration of the U.S. ban on coastal drilling for oil and natural gas, even in Florida, where conservation and tourism concerns have long bolstered a bipartisan consensus against offshore production.
Now, there are signs of a shift in sentiment in the state, particularly in large suburban areas that have been hard hit by skyrocketing home insurance, the housing bust and funding cuts, forced by state budget deficits, to schools and other services.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
ping
I think most of the rigs are way out of sight. From land, anyway.
The Destin Dome has enough natural gas to run Florida's power stations for decades. No one even knows how much is there. The alternative, and far more risky venture is shipping the crude oil in by barge, which is done now.
I never understood why those gigantic bird Cuisinarts are so cute and those hardly visible oil well pump heads are so ugly --- Makes no sense does it.
We have drilling here in CA off the coast, in between Santa Barbara and Ventura. They decorate the platforms like ‘islands’ and you barely notice them. Sheesh, such whining. Don’t they know, their choice is actually between being self-sustaining and being beholden to terrorists? It is not between living in the Garden of Eden or NOT.
//rolling eyes//
Make them look like Disney Castles and everyone wins.
Pray for W and Our Troops
For a person standing at water's edge, the horizon is about 3 miles away. From a 10 story Condo, it's about 14 miles away.
Amazing how high gas prices have a way of changing people’s minds. Pretty soon we’ll be drilling in ANWR!
Admittedly this is a small sample, but it seems that one out of every two Floridians have discovered that the Earth is round and that oil rigs are typically located over the horizon.
It's a start.
May be when the tourists don’t show up they will tar and feather Wexler and Wasserman Schultz.
Drill the Destin Dome now!
“........as long as they put it far enough out that we don’t see it.”
Well lady, we were thinking that we would drill for oil in places... where the fricken oil IS.
These hanging chad folks must have very small brains....
Those drill platforms and well heads make excellet fishing grounds. I am for all drill, off Florida, say starting 10 miles out. Well heads can be made very small and are not really visible from 3 miles a way.
These people are like the jerks who whine about lack of cell phone coverage but oppose new cell phone towers because they are unsightly. Thanks to them, we all suffer.
Uhhh.. Mrs. Sharp given $4+ gas prices and the airlines shrinking and hiking fares nobody will be afford to come to your state. Look at the bright side. At least you will be able to stroll the beaches by yourself and you will no longer have to wait 1 hour to go on a ride at Disney World.
We put off our yearly vacation this year. Granted it was to Hawaii and not Florida, but the cost of one wk’s hotel and airfare was outrageous. We said nope, better things to do with our money.
But it's okay if you cover our beautiful West Texas with wind generators. Get a life California, DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW, PAY LESS!
Contact your Congress critters to let them know that you are tired of high gas prices.
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