One man draws a line in the sand against oil drilling: Dave Rauschkolb is hoping opponents will join hands on Feb. 13

When Bud & Alley’s owner Dave Rauschkolb hosted House of Representatives hopeful David Pleat at his 30A restaurant in October, he heard him issue a call to action against drilling for oil off his beautiful beaches. It spurred Rauschkolb to action.

Pleat had been talking about a letter-writing campaign, but Rauschkolb saw more.

“I just saw a visual image of a line being drawn in the sand. I turned to my wife and told her we need to draw a line in the sand,” said Rauschkolb, who is an avid surfer.

That visual image led to Rauschkolb forming a resistance movement called Hands Across the Sand. And what started as one man’s idea in a grass roots movement has picked up statewide support.

Rauschkolb formulated a mission statement, designed a Web site and rounded up support — all without funding. He hopes the efforts pay off and will result in the largest gathering in the history of the state.

On Feb. 13 at noon, Rauschkolb is asking everyone in the state to go to their nearest public beach access and join hands, taking a stand against oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. He hopes the action will send a message to the state Legislature that citizens of the state of Florida don’t want drilling in their waters.

 “Originally, I had intended to organize just the Gulf Coast. But before long, enthusiasm was so high that it spread to organizations across the state. I hope this will send a strong message to our legislators of the damage that could occur and the opposition to it,” he said.

Rauschkolb has garnered support from chambers of commerce and Tourist Development Councils in Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Walton County and Panama City Beach, as well as the Sierra Club, SurfRider Foundation, Audubon Society, and Apalachicola River Keepers, among a wealth of others.

Every chamber of commerce from Pensacola to Panama City has passed a resolution against drilling for oil in the Gulf.

Rauschkolb said he doesn’t believe that drilling for oil will make the nation more independent against the need for more oil. He believes the Legislature should instead steer constituents from oil toward solar energy and technology that doesn’t damage the environment and the legacy left to the state’s children.

“Texas’s legacy is oil and their beaches are terrible. People from there come here to go to the beach. Drilling for oil three- to-10 miles off shore is not a good idea if we want to preserve our beaches,” said the new father.

“When I heard Pleat speak, I just thought, ‘how many people will actually write their legislators?’ But we needed to do something to get their attention and anybody can go to the beach,” he said. “It’s a pretty simple idea; just go to the beach at noon on Feb. 13 and form a line in the sand, holding hands against oil drilling.”

Learn more at handsacrossthesand.com.