In 2009, Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, argued in favor of lifting the ban in state law against oil drilling in Florida waters. Supporters of placing a ban on oil drilling in the state Constitution say you don’t have to go far back in history — only to 2009 — to show why one is […]

Drilling opponents protested outside of the historic Florida Capitol on May 25. On Tuesday, they will visit the Capitol again during a special session to urge the Legislature to put a drilling ban on the ballot in November. On the eve of the special legislative session dealing with oil drilling, environmental groups on Monday released

State officials on Friday warned emergency workers against getting “happy feet” in response to the capping of the gushing oil well in the Gulf. The leaking BP oil well since April 20 has caused oil to wash ashore in the western Florida Panhandle and closed beaches and coastal fishing areas. BP and federal officials continue

BP Vice President Kent Wells said this morning that the closing and testing of the oil well in the Gulf had yielded encouraging but inconclusive results so far. Pressure within the well and capping system has continued to build to 6,700 pounds per square inch, which is about 200 times more than an automobile tire.

A Florida official welcomed the news Thursday that oil had stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico — for the first time in 87 days. But testing of a new well cap must continue to determine that there are no leaks. “While it is hard not to have a moment of elation,” Department of Environmental

House Speaker Larry Cretul told fellow House members on Thursday they could expect a “very short” stay in Tallahassee for next week’s oil drilling special legislative session, suggesting there would be no serious consideration of a drilling ban. Cretul, R-Ocala, made his announcement shortly after Senate President Jeff Atwater sent his own letter to the

With a special legislative session scheduled to begin next week to consider a ban on oil drilling, Florida officials watched and waited again Wednesday to learn whether a gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico can be capped. BP delayed launching tests on Tuesday to determine whether the new containment system might work and

A special session is only a week away but no firm plan has been reached by House and Senate leaders on what should happen. Gov. Charlie Crist wants lawmakers to put a constitutional ban on oil drilling on the November ballot, but House leaders remain opposed to it. The question, however, is whether legislators are

BP appears to be rejecting Gov. Charlie Crist’s request for an additional $50 million for Florida tourism advertising in response to the ongoing oil spill. Florida received $25 million in June for advertising to offset the negative images of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. On June 30, Crist sent a letter to BP saying

The sight of oil washing up on Florida’s beaches and the empty restaurants, souvenir stores and bait shops already has led to the filing of numerous lawsuits — creating perhaps a sense that attorneys are closing in like sharks at the smell of blood, or money, in the water. But some attorneys who recently filed