 | Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177 |
Sitting in an editorial-board meeting one day a couple months ago, proponents of lifting a ban on offshore oil and natural-gas exploration off Florida’s coast said: “We have the facts on our side.”
It was not the first time I heard them say that, but this time I heard myself replying: “Prove it.”
Since then, a group of us have been working to create a public forum – a debate, really – that will allow those who support and oppose lifting the ban to place their facts in front of the people of Florida for review.
The Florida Forum on Energy Exploration will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the studios of WFSU-TV in Tallahassee, sponsored by Florida State University, the Tallahassee Democrat and other Gannett Florida newspapers and TV stations.
It will be broadcast live on 4FSU and by anyone who wants to pick it up. It will be streamed live on the Internet on Tallahassee.com, as well as affiliated Gannett Web sites in Pensacola, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa and Melbourne.
Questions will be taken live from the studio and Internet audiences through a live interactive blog. Internet viewers can also Tweet questions or comments by using the hashtag #flaforum. Questions may also be e-mailed in advance to FlaForumtallahassee.com.
Legislative leaders Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, agreed to be on hand as part of the forum to ask questions and listen.
It will all be moderated by Paul Flemming, state editor for Gannett Florida. Flemming heads the Florida Capital Bureau that serves the Democrat, Florida Today, The News-Press of Fort Myers, the Pensacola News-Journal, First Coast News in Jacksonville and 10Connects (WTSP) in Tampa-St. Pete.
I must tell you, negotiations on setting up this forum made my head hurt, but in the end I think the discussion will be valuable to the public and the Legislature.
In what is surely an understatement, the issues are complicated and debate is occurring at a time when our economy is suffering. Whatever Florida does, Cuba and others are working on their own plans to extend energy exploration.
Florida State University, which has been instrumental in helping to make this possible, will follow the forum with an academic symposium on campus Nov. 2.
A team of reporters and editors from across the state will then use what we learn at the forum, the symposium and in our own news gathering to put together a comprehensive project for publication later this year.
To be clear, there is no doubt going to be a bill at some point for the Legislature to debate on lifting restrictions, whether that will happen in special or regular session remains to be seen. At this point, a special session before the new year seems unlikely. It is not clear what the outcome of the bill will be. (Additional information on the forum is available on this link.)
The idea of this forum is very simply to put all of the best arguments from all sides of this debate into a mixing bowl and see what comes out. Our goal has been to ensure a fair and honest discussion of the issues that are relevant to the debate that will happen on the floor of the Legislature.
I’m not sure anyone will end up proving their points to the satisfaction of everyone, but hopefully everyone will agree all sides got a fair chance to be heard.
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