Florida State University sits far from the beach, but the state's coastal waters were the topic of discussion Monday afternoon at the university's offshore drilling symposium.

High energy demands and Florida's financial woes have sparked renewed interest in opening the state's waters to oil and gas drilling. As lawmakers debate the issue, experts from around the nation gathered in Tallahassee to share their views. One major talking point: the environmental impact.

"If you are drilling out there, you are going to leave scars and marks on the seabed," says Kenneth J. Schaudt, a certified consulting meteorologist.

Not to mention the effect drilling would have on our view at the beach and how that could impact the state's lucrative tourism industry.

"People would notice large ships in the ten mile region, people in the water might hear the sound generated by the seismic airguns, so there would be a nuisance value in fact, of this activity," says Ian McDonald, Ph. D., an FSU Oceanography Professor.

Proponents of offshore drilling say the state could generate revenue and create jobs.
But it's hard to say how much money the state could make when it's unclear how much oil and gas even exist in the area.
"It's fairly certain from previous production that there are prospects in the offshore of the southern region, but there are many more unknowns than there are knowns," says McDonald.