Buzz: BP planning community meeting for Pensacola Beach

I’ve heard that tomorrow the Escambia County, Santa Rosa County and SRIA will hold a community meeting with DEP and BP for citizens on Pensacola Beach at the Beach Community Church, 916 Panfero Dr.

At the Bayou La Batre meeting yesterday, BP told the fishermen, business owners and local officials that they didn’t need to hire lawyer. They simply can call the BP 1-800 telephone number and claim total damages for themselves and their businesses of up to $5,000. The damaged individuals and businesses would be required to sign BP paperwork, company officials said. If their claim turned out to be more than $5,000, people were told they would be required to deal directly with BP’s legal department.

Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright told the hundreds that packed the community center, “Let me say this as your friend. If you take one penny from BP make sure you don’t sign a release form.

“If you take a dollar from them and they may you sign a release,” Mayor Wright warned, “and if this thing last ten years, you can forget about it.”

He received applause when he told the fishermen to work through their trade associations and “don’t work through BP.”

Here is a video on Mayor Wright’s comments. Notice size of the crowd.