MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT: Eight years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster devastated businesses, communities and wildlife along the Gulf of Mexico, elected officials, community members and environmentalists from across Tampa Bay will gather on Clearwater Beach for this year’s Hands Across the Sand event to oppose offshore drilling and call for commitments to clean, renewable energy.

This year’s Hands Across the Sand in Clearwater is one of 119 synchronized events across 18 states and seven countries designed to raise awareness about the dangers of dirty energy and the need to quickly transition to clean, renewable alternatives. The events are particularly salient this year, as the Trump administration considers opening up nearly all of America’s coasts to offshore drilling, including proposed oil and gas development in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

SPEAKERS:
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson
Mayor George Cretekos, Clearwater
Commissioner Pat Gerard, Pinellas County
Frank Jackalone, Florida Director, Sierra Club

Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long and Pinellas County Schoolboard Chairwoman Renee Flowers along with representatives from Sea Shepherd, Environment Florida, the Suncoast Surfrider Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy will also be in attendance.

** INTERVIEW AND PHOTO/ VIDEO OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE**

VISUALS: 
Elected officials, families, and environmentalists all joining hands, wearing blue to support the ocean, lined up along the water’s edge facing the Gulf of Mexico; colorful signs, paddleboards and surfboards showing support for moving away from dirty fuels and towards clean energy.

WHEN: 
11:30 – Kick-off press conference w/ elected officials
11:45 –  Attendees begin to walk down to the water’s edge to join hands
12:00 – Everyone joins hands along the water’s edge in opposition to offshore drilling

WHERE:
4 Rockaway St.
Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Outside of the Palm Pavilion

PARKING: 
Closest Option: Paid Public Parking at 4 Rockaway Street
Second Closest Option: Paid Public Parking Lot near Family Aquatic & Recreation Center on corner of Esplanade and Mandalay.
Bring at least $3.00 in quarters or download Parking App
Takes 10-12 minutes to walk to event

WHY:  
At a time when we need to invest in a green energy future and honor international agreements to fight climate change, drilling off the Florida coast would take us in the exact opposite direction. The impacts of these actions will affect people across the world. Hands Across the Sand participants will be pushing local elected officials to formally oppose the draft plan to expand offshore drilling if they have not done so already, and to take a stronger stand against the expansion of offshore drilling along the coast. With the entire world rapidly switching to electric vehicles that use no oil, we’ll soon need less oil, not more.

BACK UP RAIN LOCATION: Palms Pavillion, 10, 1603, Bay Esplanade, Clearwater, FL 33767

For more information, go to handsacrossthesand.org.