Environmentalists, tourists join hands to protest drilling

Scores of people met on Franklin County beaches Saturday afternoon to protest proposed offshore drilling for oil.

Around 200 protestors joined hands at three sites across the county to form a line in the sand and draw attention to the dangers of proposed offshore oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico.

The statewide protest, dubbed “Hands Across the Sand” was the brainchild of Dave Rauschkolb, a restaurateur and surfer from Seaside. He said about 80 demonstrations took place at beaches from Pensacola to Key West in the south and Jacksonville in the north.

Legislation to allow oil drilling off the Florida coast passed the Florida House of Representatives last year but was blocked by Governor Charlie Crist and the state Senate.

Oil-drilling opponents fear the legislation may come up again in this year's legislative session. Supporters of offshore drilling say it is needed to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil.

In Franklin County, protests were led by Laura Smith, at Indian Pass; Barbara Sanders and Ada Long on the public beach at St. George Island Center; and Leslie Cox at Carrabelle Beach.

On the west end of the county, about 25 humans and six canines joined hands.

Smith reported a handful of counter protestors as well, but they remained quiet. One carried a sign that read, “Go ahead and drill. We know there’s gas.”

Smith said she was approached by a woman who said her husband was now forced to travel to Louisiana to work on an oil rig.

Visiting Port St. Joe from the Adirondacks for two months, Smith is on her second visit to the Panhandle.

“I decided on Indian Pass because St. Vincent Island is right there and some of the oystermen launch from there,” she said. “It’s an area that will be seriously impacted if there is a spill. If somehow the issue does go away there will be other issues. Next year we could tie something else in. I think to have an annual hands across the sand to protect the area would be good.”

In Carrabelle, certified Green Guide and environmental activist Lesley Cox led about 50 protestors. She said she was very happy with the turnout countywide.

On the St. George Island, around 70 people joined hands, the activists including islanders, visitors from several states as well as locals from Apalachicola and Eastpoint.

“I thought it was a terrific success,” Long said. “We were lucky with the weather. It was fun. In addition to a protest, it was a celebration of beauty of the beach, fun and purposeful. I was wonderful to think of people all over Florida holding hands. It was a celebration and I hope we get to keep celebrating.”

Long and Sanders, who organized the event, are also the coordinators of the George Island Trash Patrol, a group of 70 islanders who volunteer to police a grid of the island on a regular basis.