BP Oil Spill and its effects along the Florida Coast

The effects of the BP Oil Spill along the Florida Coast. On the 20th of April this year , the oil spill happened. Its the largest to date in history. Killing eleven workers that were aboard the rig. The oil flowed into the gulf for 85 days and released up to 184 million gallons of oil. The oil spill has become and ecological disaster for us here in the United States. Those effected by the spill have been astonishing numbers. Florida consist of 23 miles of shore line and the most beautiful beaches in the world. The claims were filed from all walks of life, consisting of Fisherman, Charter Boat Captains, Hotels, Real Estate Agents, Business Owners and Property Owners, just to name a few. Nobody knows how long the ecological effects will last. All kinds of marine life was effected as well. 

You could be walking along the beaches and notice hundreds of stingrays coming in closer to the shore line. Dolphins and Sharks also coming in to the shore just to escape the black murk. This has been a sad time for us here in Florida affected by the oil spill. This spill has crippled many peoples lives along the coast.and other areas as well. 

I was hoping that BP would do the right thing and pay the claims , but to date they have not. There are many people still along the coast and other areas, that are still waiting on those checks that will probably never come. We are still waiting on the coast for our help as well. Our beaches have been affected and so has our way of life. When the spill first occurred here people were in a panic. A panic about how they would make a living and what about there health. They were worried about business in and around the coast. Would this affect how they make their living. Well the answer was yes. Some boats were hired to carry the booms out to protect our shores. Others were hired to carry people out to do water testing. This went on for weeks. You could visit our beaches and see some workers trying to clean up the sand, but they were not enough workers to do the job. Pensacola was one the hardest places hit. The beach was even closed for a few days. When this happened it started affecting our way of life. 

Navarre Beach is known for its beauty and for its peace and quiet. Its very peaceful now. Although its the winter months here now, it still rings in every ones memory about the spill.

We are thankful for the concerts that were held here, it did help our local revenue. People are still out of work and the checks from BP is still in the mail. The mail that may never come.