Charlie Crist: “I want to thank my colleague from Florida, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for her leadership on this important…”

“I want to thank my colleague from Florida, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for her leadership on this important issue and for working with me and the Florida delegation to include banning drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico in this amendment. I represent most of Pinellas County, Florida, on the Gulf Coast. My district is surrounded by water on three sides. It is virtually a peninsula. As you can imagine, this issue is deeply important to me, my constituents, and all Floridians. I was Governor of Florida when the Deepwater Horizon exploded in 2010. I saw the tar balls wash up along Florida beaches. I saw the harm done to Florida's economy and our way of life. I have seen firsthand the consequences of offshore oil drilling. I hope to never see it again. We must protect the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the environmental, economic, and national security benefits it provides to the region and to the United States of America. I could not be more proud that the Florida delegation stands united to do exactly that. I urge passage of this amendment and the underlying legislation.”