Information Circular 107


Detailed information on these wells is tabulated
in Part I, Appendix 6, of this publication. One of
these wells, .drilled in 1959 in the Marquesas
Keys area (Florida permit 275, Figure 4), had a
significant oil show in the Lake Trafford (?)
Formation (Applegate and Lloyd, 1985; also Part
I, Appendix 6 of this publication).
 Recognition of environmental sensitivity, as
well as dependence of many commercial
enterprises on the vitality of these areas, has led
state government to place all state waters under
a no-lease protection policy. This policy was
enacted by the legislature in two steps: effective
July 1, 1989, drilling was prohibited in Florida
state waters south of 260 north latitude off the
west coast and south of 270 north latitude off the
east coast; effective July 31, 1990, drilling was
prohibited in the remainder of Florida's territorial
seas, i.e., north of 260 north latitude off Florida's
west coast to the western boundary of the state
bordering Alabama and north of 270 north
latitude off Florida's east coast to the northern
boundary of the state bordering Georgia (Section
377.242, Florida Statutes).


 OFFSHORE FEDERAL WATERS
 Activity

 A total of 53 wells have been drilled in federal
 waters offshore Florida; 43 wells in the Eastern
 Planning Area, 3 in the Straits of Florida Planning
 Area near the Marquesas Keys, and 7 in the
 South Atlantic Planning Area off northern Florida
 and southern Georgia (through February, 1989)
 (Figure 5). This relatively small number of
 offshore wells has not resulted in any
 development in Florida's offshore to date.
 However, two Destin Dome area wells (Amoco-
 8338 and Chevron-6406, Figure 5) off Florida are
 Norphlet discoveries and are described as
 producible fields by Gould (1989).
 The Amoco-8338 well, completed in Destin
 Dome block 111 in 1987, was the first
 commercial discovery in the Eastern Gulf of
 Mexico Planning Area (Gould, 1989). The Oil and


Gas Journal (1989) discusses the Chevron-6406
well and quotes Chevron USA Inc. as stating that
"the well was not tested due to safety and cost
considerations. However, analysis of cores and
wireline logs indicates the presence of gas in the
Norphlet sandstone." These two discoveries
extend the offshore Norphlet gas trend seaward
and eastward from the Mobile map area of the
Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, offshore
Alabama, into the Eastern Gulf of Mexico
Planning Area, offshore Florida.
 In addition to the potential indicated by these
 Destin Dome discoveries, an offshore south
 Florida well (Florida permit 284, Figure 5), drilled
 in the Marquesas Keys area in 1960, had
 potential for low volume oil production from the
 Lake Trafford and Sunniland Formations
 (Applegate and Lloyd, 1985).


 Policy

 Former Florida Governor Bob Martinez
 negotiated with the federal government
 concerning the current five-year (1987-1992)
 federal OCS Oil and Gas Leasing program
 (Figure 3). His negotiations reflected his belief
 that "oil and gas activities must not be allowed at
 the expense of our unique and sensitive
 resources" (Governor Martinez, March 3, 1987
 letter to Secretary of the Interior, Donald Hodel).
 When the five-year oil and gas leasing plan
 was first proposed by the Secretary of the
 Interior, Donald Hodel, Governor Martinez
 expressed his concerns to both Secretary Hodel
 and to President Reagan. He requested that
 sensitive areas off Apalachicola Bay in northwest
 Florida, Florida Bay and the Florida Keys be
 removed from the plan. In August 1987, the
 Governor filed a petition for judicial review in
 federal court of the Department of the Interior's
 five-year leasing plan because these areas were
 not removed (Press Release, Office of the
 Governor, August 14, 1987).
 In January 1988, Secretary Hodel
 accompanied Governor Martinez on a snorkeling