Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater announced yesterday that he wants to see reports from a number of dorganizations before having serious discussions about offshore drilling.

It is not the first time that Atwater, running for the GOP nomination for CEO, has made less than enthusiastic remarks about offshore drilling, which certainly puts him in a different camp than the man set to replace him as Senate leader, Mike Haridopolous.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat:

Atwater killed the proposal this spring when (House Speaker-designate Dean) Cannon pushed it in the waning days of the legislative session. He went a step further on Monday, saying that he was in no hurry to bring the issue up in the next legislative session that begins in March.

Naturally, drilling opponents were thrilled to hear the news.  Audubon of Florida's Eric Draper told the Democrat:

"Finally, we've got a grown up in the process who is saying that this is a major proposed change in state policy and that we should take our time and maybe not do it at all."

Senator Bill Nelson, who described himself yesterday as "on a one man crusade on offshore drilling" discussed both the federal and state initiatives to try to bring offshore drilling to Florida's shores – in the case of the state proposal, as close as 3 miles.

However, props to the Tampa Tribune's William March, who called out Nelson in his article today for using incorrect figures when discussing potential negative effects on tourism that could be created due to an oil spill.

In his address yesterday, Nelson said that an oil tanker spill in 1992 off of Pinellas County resulted in 2 years of 45 percent declines in tourism revenue.

But as March reports:

In fact, no such declines occurred. The figures, from a Sierra Club report in August, are hypothetical figures on the possible effects of a severe spill. The Sierra Club incorrectly cited the figures as actual but then acknowledged the error.

Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin said Nelson "had not been made aware of the Sierra Club's clarification, but it doesn't change the point of fact he was making: Oil drilling off the coast of Florida will damage the state's economy and environment."

Despite the hyperbole, Nelson is the best friend that environmentalists and others who hope on a federal level that offshore drilling won't be happening anytime soon in the Sunshine State.  He also dismissed claims by the industry that drilling techniques are much more sophisticated now, saying such 'sophisticated' techniques were used by those operating the deep water rig that has led to an environmental catastrophe in Australia right now.

This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2009.