By Peter Covino
Entertainment Editor

Is it strictly politics or is it a sincere effort by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to prevent more damage by oil to the state's ecosystems?

Crist has called the state Legislature into special session next week to vote on a joint resolution to revise the Constitution to prohibit the drilling of oil off the Florida coastline. A constitutional amendment requires a 60 percent approval vote by both the Florida House and Senate, an unlikely scenario since Republicans have the majority in the Legislature and most Republicans oppose putting the issue before voters on the November ballot. If approved by the Legislature, the amendment would then require 60 percent approval of voters as well.

Locally, state Rep. Mike Horner, R-Kissimmee, called the issue completely political by the governor.

“It just smells of politics,” Horner said. “It's an opportunistic move. I don't support it.”

He calls the special session a political game for Crist, who is running for U.S. Senate.

State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, whose district includes part of western Osceola County, said she had no problem with Crist bringing this before the Legislature.

“If any governor feels an issue is important enough and wants to call the Legislature into session, he has the authority to do so,” Dockery said.

Dockery, who has a strong record when it comes to matters of the environment, said she has met with several groups in recent days with concerns for Florida's coast.

“I have been researching it for a while,” she said.

State Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, did not return phone calls, but he has gone on record that he probably would vote against the resolution.

Siplin said to put a proposed ban on the ballot is a waste of time when both federal and state law already bans drilling, published reports said.

No matter what the outcome in the Legislature, Dockery said, she hopes the resolution makes it out of committee in both the Florida House and Senate so it can come before the full Legislature for a debate and vote.

Crist, who has become an independent in his bid to become U.S. senator for Florida, has been criticized by some Republicans and Democrats for ordering the special session.

But Crist said the magnitude of the BP oil spill forced him to act to protect the Florida coast and ultimately let the voters decide the question of drilling.

“I felt a compelling duty to protect Florida,” Crist said in a press release last week after calling for the special session. “I'm going to be governor for six more months and I think I would not be doing my duty as governor if I didn't call this special session.”

Estimates for the oil disaster, caused by an explosion April 20, range from 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day being released into the ocean. Experts say that is an amount equal to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill every one to two weeks. The oil spill is now the largest in United States history. The oil platform explosion also killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others.

Other reactions across the state:

Marco Rubio, Crist's Republican rival for the U.S. Senate, called the special session a political sideshow.

“Charlie Crist seeks to ban something that is already illegal under state law,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, also criticized the governor in a press release, saying it took Crist 80 days to respond to the oil spill before calling a special session.

“Where was he before the spill?” Meek asked.

Even the governor has flip-flopped on the issue. He said he supported offshore oil drilling in 2008, when he was apparently courting presidential candidate John McCain for a spot on the presidential ticket. He also backed efforts in 2009 to open state waters to oil and gas rigs.

Public support for offshore drilling has dropped sharply since the explosion has caused oil to spread across the Gulf of Mexico. The Pew Research Center's latest poll in June shows a majority of Americans (52 percent) now oppose increased offshore drilling, a 14-percent increase from the poll in May. However, only 22 percent supported a total ban on offshore drilling, in contrast to 35 percent who favor banning only new drilling.

Nearly 70 percent of Democrats nationwide oppose increased drilling, a marked difference from the February report when a majority favored more drilling. Although 63 percent of Republicans still favor more drilling, that number has slipped from 74 percent in February.

The Florida ban would have a limited range. Drilling beyond 10 miles falls under federal control.

The special session is scheduled to start Tuesday and continue through Friday.

Legislators also are expected to take up other issues during the four-day session.

Dockery announced earlier this week that she and Rep. Kevin Ambler, a Republican state senator from Tampa, would push for an Arizona-style immigration law. The two legislators are co-sponsoring a bill that would make it a crime for aliens in Florida not to carry registration documents required by federal law. The measure also would crack down on those sheltering, hiring or transporting undocumented residents.

“With communities around the state being threatened by those who violate our immigration laws and a federal bureaucracy unable to fulfill one of its major responsibilities, the Florida Legislature has an opportunity to make a real difference during this special session by addressing the issue of illegal immigration in our state,” the two lawmakers said jointly in a press release earlier this week.