Dems: Floridians Should Vote to Ban Off-Shore Oil Drilling

Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and a group of key Democratic lawmakers proposed Thursday to ask voters in November to ban off-shore oil and natural gas drilling in Florida waters.

At a press conference in St. Petersburg, Democrats called on Gov. Charlie Crist to hold a special legislative session to give lawmakers a chance to add a Constitutional amendment banning the drilling to the November ballot. Sink, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, was joined by Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, and Rep. Keith Kitzgerald, D-Sarasota.

Even with a horrific and historic environmental and economic disaster unfolding before our eyes, Republican Leadership in Tallahassee refuses to drop their plans to drill just a few miles off our coast, Kriseman said, according to a press release from the state House Minority Office. We can no longer wait on them to put an end to this ridiculous oil drilling debate. We can no longer allow them to steer our state's energy agenda.

Supporters of off-shore oil drilling have already begun to back away from the proposal since the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank, with incoming House Speaker Rep. Dean Cannon saying the measure has been "permanently tabled."

The Palm Beach Post later reported that Crist was open to calling a special session to propose the ban on off-shore drilling.