A mineral of minor significance is magnesia (MgO), which is recovered 

 from sea water. The basic magnesia plant, located in Port St. Joe in Gulf 

 County, is the only producer of MgO in the region (Florida Department of Pollution 

 Control 1972). 



The market value of minerals in Northwest Florida was of little conse- 

 quence until 1976 when petroleum production in Santa Rosa and Escambia 

 Counties increased sharply. In 1965, Northwest Florida contributed $357,000 

 ( 1%) to the State mineral production, and in 1976, it contributed $537 

 million, 33% of the State total (U.S. Department of Interior 1965, 1979). 



In 1967-72 in the State of Florida, the number of businesses in mineral 

 production increased from 210 to 277. Average annual employment increased 

 from 8,100 to 9,000, and wages jumped from $36 million to $53 million. Capi- 

 tal expenditures by the mineral industries in the State (excluding land and 

 mineral rights) were $45 million in 1972 (U.S. Department of Commerce 1973). 



Mineral production statistics are incomplete because it is proprietary 

 information not usually made available to the public. No comparable data are 

 available except • for Escambia County where the value of mineral production 

 increased from $356,812 in 1960 to $759,000 in 1976. In Bay and Walton Coun- 

 ties, the value of production in 1975 was $474,000 and $290,000, respectively. 

 The number of mineral business establishments in 1972 are given by county in 

 Table 1. Useful information by county is limited because of disclosure rules. 



Table 1. Number of mineral producing establishments by county in 1972 (U.S. 

 Department of Commerce 1973). 



OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION 



HISTORY OF OIL PROSPECTING 



Oil prospecting in 

 sporadically until the 

 made in Collier County 



Florida began at the turn of the century and continued 

 early 1940's when the State's first oil discovery was 

 (Florida Geological Survey 1953). The well drilled at 



139 



