Pinellas leaders show support for environmental awareness

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH — Leaders from several Pinellas County communities, including Clearwater, Largo and Madeira Beach, and from nonprofit organizations such as the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Oceana, recently converged on Indian Rocks Beach for the annual Hands Across the Sand event.

Hands Across the Sand began more than a decade ago in the Florida Panhandle area in response to the BP oil spill and has grown into an international effort. The aim is to promote awareness of environmental issues and clean energy topics such as electric-powered transport and solar power.

Prior to the May 21 event — the first in two years due to COVID — longtime environmental advocate Susan Glickman said bringing awareness to the issue is vitally important now.

"I've been working on climate and energy issues for more than 20 years, because I believe it's essential to protect clean air and water for our economy and agriculture and real estate, and drilling for oil offshore puts all of this at risk," she said, as event participants began to gather at the 1700-block beach access.

She said current events, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing high gas prices, are putting pressure on state legislators to overturn an offshore drilling ban.

"In 2018, voters passed an initiative to ban it, but the American Petroleum Institute is trying to overturn it," Glickman said of Florida Amendment 9, which passed with 69% of the vote.

"But today we have alternatives, including an influx of cheaper electric vehicles," she added. "So this event is designed to bring elected officials, clean energy advocates, beach lovers and people who care about protecting the environment and the economy together to help spread the word to say 'no' to offshore drilling and 'yes' to clean energy."

The midday event, held under gray, threatening skies, was attended by Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Cookie Kennedy and Madeira Beach Mayor John Hendricks, Largo City Commissioner Michael Smith and Clearwater City Council member Kathleen Beckman, and former St. Pete City Council member Darden Rice.

Hunter Miller of Oceana, an organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the world's waterways, and Lindsay Cross, a longtime environmental advocate who is running for the Florida State House's District 68, also participated in the event, along with dozens of IRB residents, visitors, and a few unsuspecting tourists.

"The elected officials here today are from all different parties and we're here because we believe this beach should stay the way it is — pristine," Kennedy said. "I was lucky to be born and raised here and that's a huge part of why I ran, because I believe we should be good stewards of our environment … and we're going to continue to fight for it every step of the way."

Other local leaders agreed.

"The beaches drive Florida's economy," Hendricks said. "People come for the beaches — I know they come to my city for the beaches, including John's Pass, one of the top tourist attractions in the county — and they want clean water, so drilling offshore makes no sense."

Smith, who represents a city without a water boundary, said environmental issues affect every community in Pinellas, so it's important to show solidarity for the causes.

"With Largo only being minutes from our priceless beaches, this event is just one of many ways for people to show our elected leaders how valuable they are, and that offshore drilling cannot happen here," he said. "Pinellas County brings in thousands of tourists every year to enjoy the sun and scenery the beach provides. It was awesome today to see so many beachgoers joining us and learning ways they can make their voices heard."

As Miller directed everyone to line up hand-in-hand along the shoreline, a large boat with an LED message board reading "Drilling is Killing" and "Protect our Coast" flashed in the background.

IRB resident Lauren Golub said events like Hands Across the Sand provide an opportunity to teach important lessons to the next generation.

"I think it's great," Golub said, noting she biked to the event with her 7-year-old son, Ripptide. "We need to protect our shores and protect our sea turtles, who have nested here for over 100 years."

Golub said as they biked over, they "talked about what activism means, and he said he wanted to be an activist for our shores and turtles."

At one point during the speeches, Ripptide, who was holding a "save the sea turtles" sign, asked where he could throw out an empty wrapper. After his mom pointed him to the nearest trash can, he made the short walk to the receptacle and tossed the paper in.