It's just not worth it

The News Journal Editorial Board has long opposed drilling within 100 miles of Gulf Coast beaches

The reasons remain the same: to protect the local tourism economy, the environment and the military training mission so dependent on large areas of the Gulf of Mexico off the Panhandle.

…What about the potential for revenue from drilling? It would be welcome. But frankly, drilling proponents have greatly exaggerated the amount of money Florida is likely to gain from oil and gas production. Revenues to Texas and Alabama, where offshore drilling is more intense than anything we would likely see off Florida, have come nowhere near what drilling proponents “project” for Florida. Only Louisiana comes close, but its revenues include substantial onshore production.

So yes, the money would be welcome. But the reality is that even compared to Florida’s recession-shrunk budget, realistic drilling revenue is a drop in the bucket.

Pensacola News-Journal