Offshore drilling: Florida hotel and restaurant group says Congress should not expand it

As both houses of Congress consider expanding offshore drilling, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association has joined with the environmental groups in the Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition to oppose anything that might threaten the state's tourist industry.

The association, which represents every facet of the hospitality industry in the Sunshine State, says it wants to "preserve and protect Florida’s most critical economic tourism asset –- its beaches."

To the association that means that Congress "must craft a rational and cautious drilling policy that maintains a significant buffer as far from our Gulf shoreline as possible. ..." Association incoming chairman Keith Overton of the TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach says, "“I am very concerned about the threat offshore drilling poses to coastal businesses. ...We oppose expansions to offshore drilling, which place natural resources essential to coastal businesses such as TradeWinds at risk.”

[St. Petersburg Times photo of St. Pete Beach by Dirk Shadd]

--Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer

*

Comments

[Joyce]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Joyce

http://www.shunmigraine.com

[Brisbane hotel deals]

Who are they planning to put up in their hotels and feed in their restaurants if people can't affort to drive there???