Miami Gardens, Fla. - While Speaker Rubio has perpetually pushed for drilling off Florida's beaches and Governor Crist has consistently changed his position on offshore drilling depending on the office he was seeking, Kendrick Meek has always stood strong against drilling off Florida's shores.
Kendrick Meek Consistently Fought Against Drilling Off Florida's Beaches
Yesterday, Kendrick introduced a measure that would block new oil drilling in the Gulf Coast. Kendrick has always opposed offshore oil drilling. As Governor Crist and Speaker Rubio supported drilling just a few miles away from Florida shores at the time of the spill, Kendrick fought to protect Florida's economy from just the type of oil disaster that's threatening Florida beaches now. Even when President Obama proposed a plan to open up drilling off Florida beaches in March, Kendrick warned of the consequences of drilling and cautioned the administration from drilling off Florida's beaches. On March 31, when the Obama plan was released, Kendrick told The Miami Herald, "caution must trump expediency. Ending our reliance on foreign oil, researching alternative green energy sources, and exploring domestic supplies of oil and natural gas is critical. But the cost for error in Florida is greater than it is for our neighbors." It is a position Kendrick has always held. Read more here.
Does Governor Crist Support Offshore Drilling? Depends on What He's Running For...
When Governor Crist ran in 2006, The Tampa Tribune reported that Crist opposed offshore drilling, writing that "Crist wants to preserve the quality of life in Florida, starting with the environment. He is against offshore drilling for oil and wants Florida to be a leader in ethanol development. " Then in the summer 2008, as he was eyeing John McCain's vice presidential nomination, Governor Crist flipped in favor of offshore drilling. On June 18, 2008, The Tampa Tribune wrote, "Crist has abandoned his staunch opposition to off-shore oil and gas drilling, saying Tuesday that he supports Sen. John McCain's plan to lift the federal moratorium and will weigh the possibility of drilling off Florida's coastline." In 2008, he told Fox News he supported drilling off Florida beaches.
Sure enough, as oil continued to creep out toward Florida beaches, Crist flip-flopped again. On Sunday, he told David Gregory on Meet the Press, "(Offshore drilling) must be tabled." As with most every public policy issue, Governor Crist has allowed the political winds to inform and then influence his decision.
Speaker Rubio: A Consistent "Drill, Baby, Drill" Republican
Speaker Rubio comes from the "Drill, Baby, Drill" wing of the Republican party and has consistently pushed for drilling off Florida's beaches. Even as the press reported that the Gulf Coast oil spill could be a worse environmental disaster than the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, Marco Rubio was at least consistent in his support of drilling off Florida's beaches. The St. Petersburg Times wrote Tuesday, "(Rubio) still supports offshore drilling as part of an overall energy strategy." Unlike Governor Crist, Speaker Rubio is consistent on the issue of oil drilling -- he just happens to be consistently wrong.
Kendrick Meek is the only candidate who has consistently fought against drilling off Florida' shores. Governor Crist and Speaker Rubio must account for how they got this issue so wrong.
Posted By: Kendrick Meek
Thursday, May 6th 2010 at 10:06AM
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