By Thomas Perrin, JMI Public Affairs DirectorTags: Oil Spill, Constitutional Amendment, Special SessionToday lawmakers are back in town to convene for a special session which the Governor called on July 8 to address a potential constitutional ban on oil and gas drilling in Florida waters.On the surface, this may seem like a legitimate response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster which has wrecked environmental and economical havoc on most of the Gulf States. However, this action begs the question: what would a constitutional ban accomplish? The answer is absolutely nothing. Currently, there are laws are already on the books prohibiting drilling off of Florida’s coast, and a constitutional ban does nothing to provide immediate relief for the dissolving property values and local businesses along our Emerald Coast.If anything, a prohibition could further harm Florida’s economy. ABC Action News in Tampa reported that a constitutional ban could cost Florida up to 30,000 jobs. This is simply unacceptable in a downturn where our state already has an unemployment rate, according the Agency for Workforce Innovation, of 11.4%.All of this leads me to believe that the Governor’s call for special session is much more about politics over people. Fortunately, it seems the Legislature isn’t going to bite. Leadership in both Houses have already released statements expressing concern over a constitutional amendment and the intent to come back in early Fall with solutions for relief of those affected by the oil spill.
