The House passed a bill on Monday that will help Florida jobs. Drilling will begin off the state's shore. It plans on decreasing dependency on foreign oil.
Many people feel this isn't the right move for Florida, thinking that it could hurt the state's economy. They feel that drill would decrease tourism, which is one of the state's main assets. The environment is, also, an major concern.
However, the governor and his three person Cabinet believe that drilling would create more money and jobs coming into the state.
According to Business Week, "Rep. Charles Van Zant, the bill's sponsor, said the proposal could attract a new industry to Florida while helping free the U.S. from relying on unfriendly OPEC countries. He said drilling could reap more than $6 billion annually for the state and create more than 16,000 jobs."
Democratic counterparts feel opposite, that drilling would only hurt the state.
"This is something serious, a dagger in the heart of the economy in my district and the districts of other coastal communities," said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, a Sarasota Democrat. "Just the smallest of spills will send people elsewhere."
According to the bill's supporters, technology advancements make spills highly unlikely. Also, for those who feel drilling would drive away tourism, pumps can be out of sights by being placed on the sea floor.
Republicans argued that it's better to drill in American waters than to hand money over to Middle East nations that hate the United States.
The next step for the bill is to be passed by the Senate.
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