Gov. Crist ‘open minded’ toward expanded drilling

Apr 23, 2009 1 min read

TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Gov. Charlie Crist’s opposition to offshore oil drilling is getting weaker and weaker.

When Crist ran for governor in 2006, he opposed any drilling off Florida’s coast. When he was campaigning with Republican presidential nominee John McCain last year, Crist became more open to the idea, but still didn’t want oil rigs near the state’s shoreline.

Now on Wednesday, the Republican governor said after an Earth Day celebration that he is “open minded” about a bill that could put oil rigs within a few miles of the beaches that are crucial to Florida’s tourism industry.

Asked whether he would sign a House bill that would allow the governor and Cabinet to OK drilling leases in state-controlled waters within 10 miles of the coast, Crist said, “I don’t know. I think we need to study it more. I think we need to learn more about it and I’m open minded to reviewing it.”

And he’s not alone. Two of the three Cabinet members – Attorney General Bill McCollum and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, both Republicans – also said they’ll remain open minded to the idea.