Like many of you, I was horrified on April 20th, when I saw the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon driling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This devastating event killed 11 workers and began gushing oil from a well a mile below sea level. It’s been 40 days and the spill has not been plugged.
To date, it’s estimated that more than 6 million gallons of crude oil have spewed into the Gulf and the oil continues to flow into the ocean. The oil has landed on about 70 miles of beaches and marshland in Louisiana and according to Gov. Bobby Jindal, some birds have been covered in oil to the point they could not fly.
I had to see for myself how this environmental tragedy was affecting our fishing families on the West Coast of Florida. I drove to the historic 110 year old fishing village of Cortez and met charter boat fishermen and commercial fishermen who have felt deep impact from the Gulf oil spill. One family-owned seafood wholesaler, Karen Bell, told me of losing a large order from one of her best clients because people are afraid to eat fish from the Gulf. The perception of polluted waters and tar covered beaches is burdening an already struggling Florida economy.
Upon my return, I was gathered around supporters and friends at a ‘Friends of Ferre’ event in Miami and shared the experience of my trip to Cortez. I spoke about this tragedy and how it will affect all parts of our state. The future is now. It is imperative that we double our efforts to move towards alternative energies and away from our dependency on fossil fuels.
Friday’s event included a diverse cross section of our South Florida community. Overwhelming the consensus was that we need a strong leader to bring good government to our nation’s capital. With your help we can do this!
Loading ...
One Response
Your Comments I am reading over all the people on the ballot and went to Maurice Ferrie’s website and cannot find a video of him speaking..I would like more info on him.so I can decide.. Is there a live video of him speaking ? THanks very much……….