Aerial photography courtesy of DorianPhotography

Thousands of Floridians joined hands on more than 80 beaches across the Sunshine State in support of protecting Florida’s coast. They held hands for 10 minutes as a way to show their opposition.

The Hands Across the Sand event is part of a protest against offshore oil drilling. "I think it would be devastating. I used to live in Texas and you could smell the oil some days and I don't want that for my state," said Cecilia Height, Winter Garden resident. Many are concerned about the future of Florida beaches. They say the drilling poses an environmental risk and they think the potential for a spill is too high and could devastate the wildlife, the economy and the tourism industry.

"The $65 billion tourism economy is rock solid that's what Florida is. We are not Texas, we are not Louisiana. We're the Sunshine State, beaches, beautiful beach, and we'd like to keep it that way and not take a risk," said protest organizer Tony Sasso.