Deepwater Horizon Incident Update #21
(Highlighted sections indicate new information)
Situation Update
- Navarre Beach and Santa Rosaâs entire coastline is open.  Two links to live Web cams on Navarre Beach are available at www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill.
- Winds and currents continue to keep the plume away from the Florida coastline for at least the next 72 hours.
- According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil spill is 55 miles southwest of Pensacola, 110 miles from Port St. Joe, and 280 miles from Clearwater.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are coordinating sea turtle nesting beach and stranding activities.  BP will be contracting with Ecological Associates, Inc. to assist with sea turtle nesting beach surveys and stranding response.
- Dr. Richard Snyder, director for the Center of Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation at the University of West Florida will attend the Board of County Commissioner Meeting on Thursday, May 27 to give a presentation and answer questions from the board on the possible impacts of the oil spill to Santa Rosa County.  The meeting will be held at the County Administrative Center, Commissioner’s Board Room, 6495 Caroline Street in Milton and begins at 9 a.m.
- Deepwater Horizon emergency management situation reports and incident action plans will be released on Mondays and Thursdays only, unless impact is imminent or other issues arise that need immediate attention. The EOC will continue at a level 2 or partial activation.
- A volunteer frequently asked questions link is now available at www.santarosa,fl.gov/oilspill under Volunteer Information as “Volunteer FAQ.”
- At this time, there are no plans to use dispersants in Florida.  If Dispersants are to be considered in state waters, the determination to use the chemicals would be evaluated by DEP with input from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissionâs Florida Wildlife Research Institute, and EPA.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with its federal partners in order to ensure an aggressive dispersant monitoring plan is being implemented by BP and is posting this information to ensure the public has access to the data. Dispersants are a chemical used to break up oil into small droplets so that they are more easily degraded.  For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill, under the âOther Links of Interestâ heading.
- On May 21, staff of Santa Rosa County and Gulf Breeze toured BP’s staging and response areas at NAS Pensacola and a private Industrial/Shipping site on Bayou Chico off Myrick St.
- Santa Rosa County public information updates will be released as new information is available, at least twice a week, until further notice.
- Oil on Floridaâs coastline will most likely be in the form of tar balls, oil sheen, tar patches or mats. To learn more visit For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill, under the Fact Sheet and Q & A heading.
- The public is reminded that ALL suspected sightings of oil substances from the spill should be reported directly to the oil sighting hotline at 1-866-448-5816.  Do not pick the substance up. When reporting to the hotline, please be ready to provided detailed sighting information, including a description and an address or prominent landmarks.
- Spill responders are asking for the publicâs help in monitoring boom along the Gulf Coast. Boaters are requested to report sightings of broken, disconnected, or adrift boom; and encouraged to keep their distance from boom especially at night and in conditions of restricted visibility.  Report damaged, vandalized, adrift, or stolen boom to 1-866-448-5816.
- Santa Rosa County and the State of Florida continue to make preparations to safeguard the stateâs shoreline.
- In order to condense our updates, older information that is still valid including tips, links, training schedules and other information for business and residents, are now available at www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill.
BP Claims
- BP Claims for Deepwater Horizon can now be submitted at www.bp.com/claims.
- To serve the residents of Santa Rosa County, BP opened a claims office in Midway on Friday, May 14. The office is located at 5668 Gulf Breeze Parkway Unit B-9 in Gulf Breeze. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.
o        BP recommends anyone with a claim to call 1-800-440-0858 to help expedite the process. By calling the claims number, adjusters at the claims office will have the information prior to your visit.
o        The office is located at: BP Claims Office 5668 Gulf Breeze Pkwy Unit B-9 Gulf Breeze, FL 32563
- BP claims in Florida: 3,118/ approximately $1,972,003.92 paid
o        Wage Loss: 1,651 claims/ $840,561.20
o        Loss of Income:
§         Commercial: 255 claims/ $142,633.93
§         Business Interruption: 145 claims/ $55,400
§         Shrimper: 92 claims/ $215,000
§         Fisherman: 3335 claims/ $305,328.79
§         Oyster Harvester: 3 claims/ $2,500
§         Crabber: 5 claims/ $5,000
§         Recreational Fisherman: 3 claims/ $5,000
§         Rental Property: 340 claims/ $22,280.00
§         Charters:193 claims/ $321,620
§         Maintenance Company: 5 claims/ $6,680
§         Seafood Processor: 7 claims/ $5,000
Fishing
- The fisheries, wildlife and seafood off of Floridaâs coast in state waters are safe and there are no alerts at this time.
- NOAA has modified and expanded the boundaries of the closed fishing area in the oil oil-affected portions of the Gulf of Mexico. All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area; however, transit through the area is allowed. Learn more at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/bulletins/pdfs/2010/FB10-045_BP_Oil_Spill_Closure_052510.pdf
- This revised closed area is bounded by rhumb lines connecting, in order, the following coordinates:
o        From the point where 30°01′ N. lat. intersects with the 3 nautical mile Louisiana state boundary; proceeding southeasterly to the point 29°50′ N. lat. and 88°14′ W. long.; thence, easterly to the point 29°50′ N. lat. and 87°28′ W. long.; thence, southeasterly to the point 29°27′ N. lat. and 86°31′ W. long.; thence southwesterly to the point 28°48′ N. lat. and 87°0â W. long.; thence, southeasterly to the point 28°07′ N. lat. and 85°01′ W. long.; thence, southerly to the point 25°35′ N. lat. and 85° 01′ W. long.; thence, southwesterly to where the point 25°13′ N. lat. intersects with the outer Federal water boundary; thence northerly along the boundary to where the point 86°16′ W. long. intersects the outer Federal water boundary; thence northerly to 26°48′ N and 86°20â W; thence northwesterly to 27°48′ N and 88°48â W; thence westerly to 27°48′ N and 91°20â20â W; thence northerly to the point where 91°20â20â W. long. intersects with the 3 nautical mile Louisiana state boundary; thence along the seaward limit ofLouisianaâs waters.
- The closure measures 54,096 sq mi (140,109 sq km), which is slightly more than 22% of the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone. The majority of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are open to commercial and recreational fishing.
- The recreational red snapper season in the Gulf will remain closed until June 1. For more information on red snapper management rules and research efforts, go to MyFWC.com/Rules; click on âFishing â Saltwater.â
- The FWC reminds Floridians and visitors that the stateâs recreational and commercial fisheries have not been impacted by the oil spill and remain open for public enjoyment and commerce. Florida saltwater fishing regulations remain in effect as usual and are available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing.
- Modeling and mapping the actual and projected spill area is not an exact science. NOAA Fisheries Service strongly advises fishermen not to fish in areas where oil or oil sheens (very thin layers of floating oil) are present, even if those areas are not currently closed to fishing.
- Details can be found at:Â Â http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/
Small Business Disaster Loans Available
- Governor Crist announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved disaster loan funds for businesses along Floridaâs Gulf coast that have been impacted by the Deepwater Horizon incident.
o        SBA representatives opened a disaster loan office on Tuesday, May 18 at the Navarre Visitor Information Center located at 8543 Navarre Parkway (U.S. Hwy 98) in Navarre. Hours of operations will be 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday- Saturday until further notice.
o        More information can be found at: www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/SERV_DISASTERASSISTANCEGOV.html
Vessels of Opportunity (boats) program
- BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire through the Vessel of Opportunities Program to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. For more information 907-301-8878.
- 128 of 1,104 contracts have been activated for the Vessels of Opportunity program in Florida.
- Submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system:Â (281)Â 366-5511