Protect Our Beaches

Want to participate in what may be the largest public rally in Florida history, but don't know where to go?

Come join many of the Love Tourists Not Drilling crew for Hands Across the Sand at St. Pete Beach. There are several "portal" spots along the Pinellas coastline. Check out our Google map for all Pinellas County locations. If you're not in Pinellas County, visit www.HandsAcrossTheSand.com for information about other access sites.

I'm helping to coordinate the portal location at St. Pete Beach County park on the 4700 block of Gulf Blvd (across from Publix). There's a fairly large parking area here, but please car pool or take public transportation if possible. We're expecting large numbers of people so spaces will probably fill up quickly.

STEP 1 Come to the beach at 12-12:30pm for a beach cleanup, and maybe a little Frisbee, rain or shine.

STEP 2 At 1pm we will organize so that at 1:30pm we can hold hands to form lines in the sand against oil drilling in our coastal waters.

STEP 3 Leave only your footprints.

NOTE: PLEASE WEAR BLACK!!
While we plan to link hands and cover as much of Florida's coastline as possible, we also want to simulate a large oil spill from the air. It will be just a taste of things to come should our legislature allow near shore drilling in the Gulf.

This event is being held at several beaches all across the state. We will have aerial photography taken of our 'Hands Across the Beach' and are coordinating the timing of this event.

What is Hands Across the Sand?
It's a day of action devoted to protecting our coastline and waterways from the devastating environmental effects of oil exploration and support industries. This event will be made of people of all walks of life and will cross political affiliations. It's not about politics; it is about protecting our shoreline, our environment, our tourism, our properties, and our way of life.

I want to know more.
Great, read Rep. Rick Kriseman's (FL District-53) excellent speech that breaks down the consequences of oil drilling in the Gulf, and demonstrates the dirty tactics already being employed by the industry.

Invite your friends! Add them to our FB invite, or simply grab them along with you. And if you tweet, be sure to use #NoDrillFL in your updates. Spread the word!!

Hope to see you all on the beach,

- Tim Martin

---