Will Crist Veto Offshore Drilling Bill?

Gov. Charlie Crist gave his usual dodging of whether he would sign or veto HB 1219.

Q: Concerned about the environment?

Crist: “That is my concern.... I’m sympathetic to the notion that we might be more independent in terms of weaning off our dependence on foreign oil, and having the opportunity to have more diver energy resources. But the lateness of the hour within it was brought up with in the session and the closeness, the proximity to Florida’s shores concern me greatly.”

Florida Energy Associates hired Florida's 20 best lobbyists to help push offshore drilling through the legislature. FEA is a LLC formed by self-employed Daytona Beach attorney Doug Daniels. Ron Sachs Communications is handling FEA's PR campaign. Sachs is best known as the host of the internet political show Power Play. I'm curious if FEA wrote Charlie Van Zant's bill.

Daniels said his group filed the original Van Zant bill earlier this year. That bill (H1219) would have directed the Department of Environmental Protection to come up with a plan for developing offshore oil reserves. That bill was expanded last week with an amendment filed by Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park.

The backers of FEA are unknown. "There is a lot more suspicion about this than there should be," Sachs insisted told the Miami Herald. "These are Americans who hope Florida will allow oil and gas exploration." The suspicion comes from these oil industry people hiding in the shadows. Their citizenship (thanks to Sachs) is the only thing we know.