Florida Approves Bill Banning Oil & Gas Operations Near Apalachicola

Last Updated on: 7th July 2025, 11:49 am

Apalachicola is a small city in the Florida Panhandle that is home to a thriving seafood industry — primarily oysters — that relies on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico for its living. The Apalachicola River is formed by the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers, which begin in northeast Georgia, then flow south though Georgia into Alabama before crossing into Florida — a total distance of 385 miles.

At one time, Apalachicola was the third busiest port on the Gulf, after New Orleans and Mobile. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, it was served by steamships that carried cargo up and down the river.

Although oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster did not reach all the way to Apalachicola itself, it devastated the local economy. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that spill killed 8.3 billion oysters, 105,00 sea birds, 7,600 adult and 160,000 juvenile sea turtles, and cut the number of dolphins in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay in half.

So when word got out a few years ago that oil and gas companies were interested in drilling exploratory wells near Apalachicola, the locals decided it was time to get organized. Adrianne Johnson, the executive director of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association, which represents more than 350 shellfish farmers in Florida, tells The Guardian her group became involved in an environmental campaign called Kill the Drill.

“This region has a deep collective memory of how the Gulf oil spill devastated the regional economy and collapsed the oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay,” Johnson said. “And that was just the threat of oil. The majority of the state’s oyster farms operate across Wakulla, Franklin and Gulf counties, and these areas downriver would be most impacted by oil drilling upriver at a proposed site in Calhoun county. If there were to be a spill upriver because of drilling in the basin, it would have catastrophic environmental and economic impacts on the area that would be felt for generations.”

“Our shellfish farmers are still recovering from the multiple hurricanes of 2024,” Johnson added. “But the reality of being a Florida farmer is having to contend with these weather-related events. Hurricanes and natural disasters are outside of our control. Permitting oil drilling in ecologically sensitive areas is very much within our control and is an unnecessary threat to our industry.”

State representative Allison Tant agreed. “We are a hurricane-prone state,” she said. “We can’t get away from that. It’s not a question of will we get hit by a hurricane because we know it’s going to happen. But an oil spill caused by a hurricane would make the disaster 100 times worse.”

Opposing Oil & Gas In Apalachicola

In April, 2024, the Florida department of environmental protection granted a permit to Louisiana-based Clearwater Land and Minerals for exploratory oil drilling in the Apalachicola River basin. That promoted area residents, environmental groups, and the business community to create Kill the Drill. Florida representative Jason Shoaf told The Guardian the Deepwater Horizon disaster “harmed our commercial fishing, aquaculture operations, and just the threat of oil kept tourists away for months. Businesses were forced to close, jobs were lost, and the disaster reshaped our region forever.”

A year later, a judge ruled the DEP was in error when it issued the permit to Clearwater and recommended the department deny the permit. Following the judge’s ruling, it did exactly that. But Shoaf and Tant felt the area needed stronger protection.

“While the permit to Clearwater Land and Minerals was denied, we can’t assume the next one will be,” Shoaf told The Guardian. “HB 1143 protects our precious water resources and the ecosystems that depend on them by prohibiting drilling, exploration and production of oil, gas and other petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve in counties designated as rural areas of opportunity. It also requires the Florida department of environmental protection to ensure natural resources are adequately protected in the event of an accident.”

The measure sailed through the Florida legislature and was signed by Florida’s governor last week. “Oil from the BP spill didn’t reach our coasts, but the damage caused by the threat was enough,” Tant says. “We’ve seen what can happen. We’ve lived it. This is not theoretical. It was a perilous time for small businesses and for those who lived in the area. It stopped tourism and shuttered small businesses. So it defies logic to think it’s a good idea to drill for oil along the Apalachicola River.”

A Balancing Test

According to Florida Politics, HB 1143 requires the DEP to conduct a “balancing test” before granting a permit for oil and gas activities in areas within one mile of the coast or other bodies of water. It needs to consider the urgency of protecting natural resources and weigh that against the potential commercial benefits. It also must consider whether the natural resource would be adequately protected in the event of “an accident or a blowout from oil or gas drilling or exploration activities,” according to the bill analysis.

It would prohibit the “drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products within 10 miles of a National Estuarine Research Reserve,” which means such drilling or resource exploration would be banned near places such as Apalachicola Bay.

Craig Diamond, a past president of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, one of the environmental groups associated with the Kill The Drill initiative, said another factor behind the ban was protecting the Appalachia River itself. “A spill would be highly impactful given the existing stresses in the system. Apalachicola Bay Riverkeeper and its allies believe the long term risks of fossil fuel exploitation in the flood plain or bay far outweigh the short term benefits.”

He is no doubt correct, but there may be more to the story. Ron DeSantis has a poor track record on environmental issues and the Florida Panhandle is deeply red territory and home to such rabid political actors as Matt Gaetz. One could almost guess Clearwater Land & Minerals was just not that invested in developing oil and gas assets in the area.

It wouldn’t be a total surprise if it has its eye on some other project in the Gulf, one that won’t create quite so much community opposition. Florida politics is a mine field. We may never know the full story, but we do know that one little corner of the Gulf is now protected from oil and gas exploration.

Page Two — The Rest Of The Story

There is a coda to this story. Few people know that in 1849, Apalachicola physician John Gorrie discovered the cold air process of refrigeration as part of his experiments in how lower the body temperature of fever patients. He patented his ice machine in 1850 and that patent led to the development of modern refrigeration and air conditioning, The John Gorrie Memorial Bridge on US Route 98 is named for him.

Right near the bridge on the east side of the river stands the Gibson Inn, a stately structure that resembles the superstructure of one of the steamboats that once plied the Apalachicola River. Every room is appointed differently and if you arrive when they are not too busy, the staff will invite you to explore them all at your leisure and select the one that appeals to you the most.

After dinner in the main dining room, you can stroll the wide verandas of the building and pretend you are cruising the river. You may even imagine you can hear the sound of the paddle wheel as you go  upstream. All that is missing is the steam whistle located up there in the pilot house located on top of the structure. Listen carefully and you may hear the leadsman in the bow shout “Mark twain!” Now, thanks to a bit of local activism, the character of this waterfront community will be preserved a little longer