One of Florida's most politically powerful men drew only five students to the second floor of Pugh Hall Tuesday afternoon, where he fielded questions about the upcoming legislative session.
State Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indialantic, is designated as Florida's next Senate President.
Haridopolos is also a lecturer at UF's Graham Center for Public Service, which sent 12 student interns to Tallahassee last spring to work with senators, representatives and lobbyists during the legislative session.
"The hottest issue right now is the budget," the senator said. He said lawmakers are considering two main avenues to make up for the deficit - gambling and offshore drilling.
After a drilling effort failed in the Senate last spring, Haridopolos said he's traveling across the state to research and talk with affected groups.
Every other Gulf state takes advantage of its natural resources, he said.
"It's happening around us, and I would rather have control over our own economic destiny and, hand-in-hand with that, control over our environmental destiny," he said.
Heshan Illangkoon, a chemistry graduate student, questioned Haridopolos on the environmental risk.
"We're taking a step back and asking the best and brightest like yourself if our technologies are up to standards," Haridopolos said.
"It's not like I can't wait to drill. But I can't tell Florida voters, 10 percent of which are out of work, you've got about $100 billion in revenue out there, but don't worry about it. Just pay more for gas or property taxes."
Nicole Sarrine, a political science junior, said she came to learn about what's going on in Tallahassee and how that affects students.
"Coming off the energy of the presidential election, students are more interested in national politics," she said. "Not too many seem to be interested or informed about the state or local level, which makes opportunities like these so important."
The senator also took some time discussing internship opportunities at the Graham Center.
"This next year is a great time to watch and experience real politics," he said. "The best way to get involved is to just go and do it."
Applications for the internship are due Oct. 9.
