Hands Across the Sand, a statewide, peaceful protest against offshore drilling, was held throughout Florida's beaches on February 13th. Despite the colder-than-average weather, large groups of citizens made their way out to the beaches to make their voices heard and to show their support for Florida's beautiful landscape, with the hope that it will stay beautiful.
At the Sheraton Sand Key resort on, as Mayor Frank Hibbard called it, “beautiful Clearwater Beach, which we want to keep beautiful,” the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted an offshore drilling symposium† on August 28th to address this hot-button issue, an issue that could greatly impact Pinellas County. A balanced panel featuring three men for drilling, and three against it, spoke and debated.
In the near future, our congressional and legislative leaders will be making decisions which could determine the future quality of our water, beach, and marine life. Educating our communities will be a key factor in influencing our critical votes in Washington and Tallahassee.