Florida to issue offshore drilling permit

Following an effective ban on offshore drilling for almost two decades in Florida, the state's Department of Environmental Protection announced in mid-August that it is ready to issue a permit to a small oil company to drill an exploratory well in state waters off the Florida Panhandle. However, drilling may still be months away due to potential legal and environmental appeals.

Sept. 2, 1996

2 min read

However, drilling may still be months away due to potential legal and environmental appeals.

Coastal Petroleum Co., a Bermuda company located in Florida and not related to Coastal Corp. of Houston, has fought legal battles for years for the right to explore for oil and gas on Gulf of Mexico leases issued decades ago that extend 425 miles from Apalachicola to Naples.

Coastal president Phillip Ware said his company is looking for partners and financing and hopes to sink a well about 10 miles south of the St. George Island bridge in state waters off Franklin County near Apalachicola. Several wells were drilled in that area but found no oil.

Groups opposed to the drilling permit will have a 14 day period to seek a hearing from the Department of Environmental Protection.

Coastal applied for two permits off Franklin County to drill 18,000 ft Jurassic wildcats. The locations lie in a 3 mile wide band 7.36-10.36 miles offshore on which Coastal holds leases.

The locations are about 200 miles southeast of Jay and Blackjack Creek fields in Santa Rosa County, which produce oil from Jurassic.

Coastal's proposed drillsites are also 85-140 miles east of Jurassic Norphlet gas discoveries drilled or tested in 1987-88 on Destin Dome blocks 56 and 111 and Pensacola Block 996 (OGJ, Nov. 14, 1988, p. 130). The discoveries are in federal waters 30-40 miles off Pensacola.