Oil Drilling off Panhandle Beaches

Dear Editor:

The Florida Panhandle is world famous for its pristine ultra white dazzling sand beaches. What we have here is very special but also fragile. Do we want our children and grandchildren to wish they could have seen it before oil?

If Florida accepts the paltry insulting pittance of one million dollars (the price of just one beach house) to allow oil exploration off Florida shores, it is in effect saying yes to oil rigs, yes to endless litter and yes to great water and air pollution.

I have spent time on several Texas beaches. Beachgoers’ homes all have oil stains (from their feet) on their nice new carpets. Sunrises are marred by rigs in every direction and litter washed up from the platforms is beyond picking up. Water and air quality is unhealthy.

Please take a trip to Texas before deciding “we” want oil drilling here.

Lin Ahlstedt

Port St. Joe