Florida  Senator Bill Nelson is set to release a report today that says oil drilling puts Florida’s economy at risk. Specifically, the report notes that Florida’s coastal communities contributed approximately $550 billion to the state’s economy and 79 percent of the state’s employment wages.  This comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of second quarter tourism numbers, with a 9.4 percent drop in those traveling to Florida from the same period last year.  According to reports, it isn’t just that fewer people are coming to the state, but they are also spending less when they visit.

In June, a Senate energy panel approved a plan to allow oil and gas drilling on Florida’s Gulf Coast, as close as 10 miles. This provision will now likely go to the full Senate for a vote as part of the larger energy and climate bill. According to Nelson, a vote could come as soon as this fall.

The battle over drilling off Florida has also heated up in Tallahassee with the Florida House of Representatives having passed a measure this spring that would have allowed drilling anywhere from three-to-ten miles off the state’s shoreline.   While that measure ultimately died in the state Senate, the oil industry is pressing to make the issue a top priority during next year’s legislative season.

A review of lobbying compensation reports filed with the legislature this month reveal just how far the industry is willing to go to get drilling approved. According to the reports, the oil industry group behind the failed legislation, Florida Energy Associates, spent between $184,000 and $233,000 on nearly two dozen of Tallahassee’s top lobbyists during the last month of the session.

Nelson has fought to keep rigs off U.S. shores, and particularly Florida because one spill could ruin the state’s tourism-driven economy and destroy some of the world’s most-protected environmental sites.

When the report is circulated, we will post it here.