Pensacola Beach, Florida – Tar balls washed ashore in northwest Florida on Friday, the first visible effect is from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that one senator said, meant a huge economic hit to the tourism-dependent state. Oil debris came ashore with swimmers and beach goers at Pensacola Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which advertises “the whitest beaches in the world,” as the worst environmental disaster in American history broadened.
Florida, the “Sunshine State” with a 60 billion U.S. dollars a year tourism industry, was ready for the oil from the 46-day-old spill out. Oil was all the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to the west.
Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson told CNN marked the arrival of the oil “a major economic hit to local tourism. “There have been cancellations, restaurants are a bit down,” he said.
Pensacola Beach Visitors on beach, many of them children, caught rust-colored blobs tar, ranging in size from one button to a ping-pong ball across the sugar-white sand beaches.
“It’s pretty sad, because we are here on vacation every summer, and now we will not be able to go. I just can not believe, because it used all just white sand,” said one visitor, Grace Vondohlen, said .
Buck Lee, director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority, said he was not sure of the oil was leaking from the leak from undersea BP Plc, Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana sound, “but I’m 90 percent sure that it is. ”
The oil will be analyzed for linkage with the oil spill, the worst in American history to confirm.
Of all the countries affected so far, Florida has the most to lose. Tourism is the largest industry, generating 60 billion U.S. dollars in spending of more than 80 million visitors a year, in 21 percent of all state sales taxes and using nearly 1 million people.
Investment analysts say that since Florida has no income tax and relies heavily on sales tax revenues, any fall-off in tourism could squeeze a bad economy is still bleeding from a housing meltdown and global recession.
Nelson told CNN the economic impact of the spill on the Gulf Coast states, including Florida was “billions (of dollars) … and if it goes all summer and you put that much oil in the Gulf, it is several billion dollars of economic loss and damage. ”
He added a fleet of ships, including a number of Coast Guard cutters were working 25-50 miles northwest Florida, scoop portions of oil. “That is the goal, to try to keep it off of the bays and estuaries and the sea.”
“It’s horrible”
Near Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, workers scooped tar balls along the high-kicking line and put them in plastic bags. “They work in an area that is quite sensitive and tern nesting areas,” spokeswoman Katie Lawhon National Park Services said.
“I think it’s terrible,” said Anthony Cross, strolling along Pensacola Beach with his three daughters, a child’s fishing net full of tar. “You trash and shells and jellyfish to see, but I’ve never seen this oil. It’s crazy,” he added.
Florida tourism authorities were rolling out an aggressive advertising campaign, partly funded by BP, which emphasizes that the state’s beaches remain open for business despite the pollution threat.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist has asked BP executives for an additional $ 50 million to fight the advancing oil, on top of $ 25 million already received from the company and issued.
On Friday, Crist said the British-based company for $ 100,000,000 more to spill response efforts of the Florida Institute of Oceanography, a consortium of 21 universities and other organizations to fund marine sciences.
Florida tourism officials, promising “100 percent transparency,” are using Twitter and live video feeds so that visitors can the situation of the beaches to check before booking.
“We’re not going to sit here and say:” The entire state of Florida is going to be shut down because of this, ‘because that’s simply not true, “said Chris Thompson, head of the state tourism marketing board.
Many experts believe crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been caught in the powerful Loop current curls around the Florida peninsula, they could take in the Florida Keys and possibly the east coast.
source:reuters
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