On Wednesday, March 31st, there will be a Town Hall meeting conducted by Newt Gingrich at the Vinoy Hotel in Downtown St. Pete, touting economic development at the expense of our coastal economy. He has even promised a bumper sticker to the first 1000 RSVP’s that reads: "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less".
Mr. Gingrich has elected to come here with his oil drilling message, but this is our community, the community where 3,000 people came out on a cold day to join hands. We will meet again on Wednesday to Join Hands to protect our coasts. We all know this is not the future we want for Florida. We have stood firm against coastal drilling for decades and we must continue to do so now.
The doors open for the Town Hall Meeting at 6pm this Wednesday, March 31st. We need 1000 people in place before then. We will meet by 5:30 and immediately form a line along 5th Ave N. on the public sidewalk on the waterfront side across from the Vinoy in St. Pete. Wear black to signify an oil slick.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2010.