Support a Permanent Ban on Oil Drilling in Florida’s Waters

Let the People Decide. Tell your Legislators to put the Oil Drilling Ban on the State Ballot and make the ban on drilling in Florida’s coastal waters permanent.

The oil that has been washing up on Florida’s beaches is a stark example of why oil drilling should never be allowed in Florida’s coastal waters.

While state law limits drilling in Florida waters the Legislature can undo the ban in a matter of days. (At the request of the oil companies they almost did that last year).

To protect Florida’s beaches now and for our children and grandchildren we need to give the people a chance to vote on an amendment banning nearshore drilling on November’s ballot. Once the people of Florida place this ban in the Constitution, only the people of Florida can remove it.

Action Steps:

1. Walk your beaches daily to ensure no garbage or plastic debris is present (leave the seaweed and shells alone).

2. Photograph Your beaches, dunes, sea-grass and reefs using a GPS and camera to show the “Before” condition of our pristine beaches and waves. [more info TBA]

Gulf Oil Spill Tracker - Surfrider Foundation and SkyTruth have launched an interactive website, the Gulf Oil Spill Tracker that lets you document what's happening to your coast. Using an interactive map, you can report text descriptions, photos, and links to video of your beach before oil hits and after.

3. Training - BP has hired PEC Premier to organize training throughout Florida. There are a number of locations this weekend and next week to become certified to be a first responder. [ More information... ]

4. Save the Date: Hands Across the Sand Nationwide, June 26th event. Offshore Oil Drilling Protests at Lake Worth Pier and Juno Pier.

5. Federal Action Alert - Help us urge the Obama administration to demand more of a response at the spill site, and reinstate our Federal Offshore Moratorium. Over 10,000 letters have been sent.

6. State Action Alert for Special Session – Our legislators are holding up the Governor’s request for a special session to make oil drilling a 2010 ballet item. Let them know you want it [ Click Here ]

Contacts:

IF you find tar balls or oil it needs to be reported so it can be collected and sent in for analysis to see if it is indeed from the Deep Horizon spill. There are chemical markers that will correlate it.

To report oiled wildlife: Please call 1-866-557-1401

Individuals are urged not to attempt to help injured or oiled animals, but to report any sightings to the toll free number.

To discuss spill related damage: Please call 1-800-440-0858.

To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: Please call 1-866-448-5816.

If you are interested in volunteering for oil spill related clean up, go to www.volunteerflorida.org.

If you have a boat that can help with the relief effort please contact: Vessels of Opportunity at 281-366-5511

S.A.V.E. Message : Safety first!

• Oil is a hazardous material and should be handled by highly trained professionals and volunteers only.
• Volunteers should not attempt to clean impacted beaches themselves or attempt to rescue oiled wildlife on their own. Touching oil is a health risk and disposing of it improperly may cause additional environmental damage. Distressed wildlife may become aggressive and cause harm to you.

Always heed local warnings from public health officials.

• Do not trespass on closed beaches. Even leaving your footprints behind may cause environmental damage.
• Volunteers should not expect to just show up to affected beaches and work. Showing up puts you at risk for health problems, hinder the efforts of response personnel, and may cause further irreparable damage to impacted beaches.

Valuable resources are needed by responding agencies.

• Consider donating much-needed cash to responding organizations.
• Confirm the needs with a responding organization before collecting items.

Engage wisely.

• Join a responding organization and become trained to volunteer safely and effectively.