Florida
House approves river drilling ban; Senate eyes softer version
Years after the BP oil spill, ‘we face another threat that is starting to really scare the entire community,’ one lawmaker said.
The Florida House unanimously approved a bipartisan proposal on Wednesday, April 16, that effectively bans oil drilling for 52 miles along the banks of the Apalachicola River.
Now the bill (HB 1143) goes to the Senate, where a less stringent companion bill is ready for that full chamber to consider. With the legislative session set to end by May 2, it’s anybody’s guess whether a compromise will make it to the governor’s desk.
The House proposal by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, and Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, prohibits the Department of Environmental Protection from approving an oil and gas drilling permit within 10 miles of the state’s three National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) – which includes the Apalachicola, Tolomato Mantanzas near St. Augustine, and Rookery Bay south of Naples.
The Apalachicola NERR has some of the highest density of fish, reptiles, and amphibians in North America and takes in nearly half of the 107-mile-long river that empties into Apalachicola Bay.
Shoaf introduced the bill by noting the upcoming 15th anniversary of the BP Gulf oil spill (April 20) that shut down Apalachicola Bay and devastated the coastal economy.
“We’re still carrying scars from that oil spill, just the threat of oil coming to our area completely crippled our economy. And now we face another threat that is starting to really scare the entire community,” Shoaf said.
Last April, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permitted an exploratory oil well in the Apalachicola floodplain for Clearwater Land and Minerals. The decision is currently under legal challenge, but Shoaf and Tant are moving to ensure the project never gets past the exploratory stage.
If oil were to be found then Clearwater would have to seek a permit to pump oil from the ground. “That is a whole other process,” Shoaf explained. “This would block the next permit they would have to obtain before they could commercially drill for oil.”
Earlier Wednesday, a Senate committee cleared a companion measure (SB 1300) for it to be considered by the full chamber.
The bill by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, lacks the House’s outright ban but does include a requirement for DEP to conduct a “balancing test” when considering drilling applications within one mile of rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.
The test would weigh environmental and economic concerns against the potential loss expected from an oil spill or other accidents.
When asked about the differences between the two bills, Simon said he will meet with Shoaf for a conversation “to work things out.”
And Shoaf said he is willing to compromise – as long as it “achieves the goal to stop drilling.”
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
SpaceX plans to kick off Memorial Day with a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, delivering more Starlink internet satellites to orbit.
The liftoff is set for no earlier than 7:41 a.m. Monday, May 25 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. If needed, SpaceX has until 11:41 a.m. to make the launch window.
The mission, known as Starlink 10-47, will launch 29 of the company’s Starlink satellites to orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket will travel on a northeast trajectory after liftoff.
Falcon 9 usually flies about twice a week, but launches have slowed this year as SpaceX focuses more on getting Starship operations ready for Cape Canaveral. With May almost to an end, this flight will mark Florida 35th launch of the year. That is well behind last year’s record-setting pace of 109 launches.
Falcon 9 rockets are currently only launched from one launch pad in Florida, and as of last month, SpaceX pulled its Just Read the Instructions drone ship to support Starship operations.
No Brevard sonic booms are expected Monday, as the rocket’s first stage booster will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live updates 90 minutes prior to liftoff at FloridaToday.com/Space.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son, married socialite Bettina Anderson on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to Palm Beach County records.
A private wedding celebration is expected to take place Saturday in the Bahamas, Page Six reported. President Donald Trump indicated Thursday that he will not be in attendance, saying the date “was not good timing for me,” citing the ongoing war in Iran and other presidential matters. The president was initially scheduled to be in Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend but is now expected to be at the White House.
Still, he offered his congratulations to the couple in a post on Truth Social Friday.
“While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,” Trump wrote, adding that he felt it was important for him to remain in Washington, D.C., “during this important time.”
On Thursday, President Trump said that he had known Anderson “for a very long time, and hopefully they are going to have a great marriage.”
Anderson comes from a prominent Palm Beach family. Her father is Harry Loy Anderson Jr., a banker and philanthropist.
Trump Jr. announced his engagement to Anderson in December during a White House holiday party.
This is the second marriage for Trump Jr., 48, who has five children with his first wife, Vanessa Trump. The pair were married at Mar-a-Lago in 2005 and divorced in 2018. He was later engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host who is now U.S. ambassador to Greece.
Trump Jr. operates the Trump Organization with his brother, Eric Trump, and has been a fixture alongside his father at political events. Anderson is a committee member at the Project Paradise Film Fund, which is focused on protecting Florida’s environment.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Military service members can get free admission to The Florida Aquarium over Memorial Day weekend.
Active-duty military, veterans, retired military personnel, drilling reservists, National Guardsmen, and honorably or medically discharged service members will receive free general admission from Saturday, May 23, to Monday, May 25.
Military service members will need to show a valid U.S. Military ID or DD Form 214 to get a free ticket at the ticket window.
“In honor of the courage, commitment, and sacrifice of our nation’s military service members, The Florida Aquarium will once again offer complimentary general admission during Memorial Day weekend as a heartfelt thank-you to those who serve and have served our country,” the aquarium said.
The aquarium said it will offer extended hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the three-day weekend.
To learn more about the aquarium, visit its website.
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