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Resident urges Gulf County residents to ask governor to sign HB 1143 protecting Apalachicola River Basin from oil drilling
Summary
A resident asked attendees to contact Gov. Ron DeSantis to request his signature on House Bill 1143, which would create a 10-mile buffer around a national estuary research reserve to block oil drilling near the Apalachicola River Basin; the bill had passed both chambers and was on the governor’s desk.
During public comment Patricia (last name unspecified in this excerpt) urged Gulf County residents and officials to call Gov. Ron DeSantis and ask him to sign House Bill 1143. She said the bill, unanimously approved by the Florida Legislature, would create a 10-mile buffer from a National Estuarine Research Reserve and specifically protect areas including the Dead Lakes, the Chipola River, Tupelo Honey, Port St. Joe freshwater canal and other waters in the Apalachicola River Basin.
The speaker said the bill had passed both chambers and reached the governor’s desk on June 18 but had not yet been signed. She warned that although a recent court ruling had stopped one proposed well, five additional pad sites and permit applications remain and one lease is approximately one-half mile from the Gulf County line and the Dead Lakes. The speaker said Gulf County lacks the resources to pursue litigation like the Riverkeepers and urged citizens to contact the governor by phone at the number she supplied.
The board did not take action on the request; the remarks were delivered during the public-comment period.
