FLORIDA - Now to the debate over oil drilling.

Oil companies are sitting on millions of acres of federal land, set aside for drilling.

Still, many oil companies want to drill near florida's coast.

Democratic lawmakers want oil companies to drill on the federal land first before they explore state property.

The bill calls for taking back the leases if oil companies don't use them.

Environment Florida Field Director Holly Binns says oil companies are taking advantage of high gas prices in order to get oil rigs close to Florida's beaches.

Holly Binns /Environment Florida: "They hold tons of leases right now to drill and they're not doing. So they're not running out of places to drill, far from it. Every time we've opened new areas to drill, like the eight million acres we opened in the eastern part of the Gulf Of Mexico two years ago, gas prices have almost doubled two years later."

Proponents of drilling near the coast say most of the federal lands leased to oil companies don't hold a significant amount of oil.Oil Drilling