TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday banning oil drilling near the Apalachicola River, an environmentally sensitive area where a proposed permit last year caused a political uproar.
Details: The governor signed the measure after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2024 proposed issuing an exploratory drilling permit to Clearwater Land & Minerals for a site 1.5 miles from the river in Calhoun County.
DeSantis did not comment on the legislation. But bill supporters celebrated the outcome, which followed DEP denying the permit earlier this month.
“That was hard fought, and we are absolutely thrilled with the outcome,” Adrianne Johnson, executive director of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association said Thursday night. “The governor showed up for the people of Apalachicola and our rural coastal communities.”
