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Crist Visits Pensacola Beach; Swimming Ban Partially Lifted
June 26, 2010
Pensacola Beach reopened for swimming Friday after a health advisory due to heavy oil concentrations was lifted for a portion of Escambia’s beaches.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist abandoned his regular scheduled Friday to head to Pensacola to meet with with Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Sole. He visited Pensacola Beach and a staging area on Bayou Chico.
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asking for more aid in the state’s fight against the slick.
“With oil mats, sheen and tarballs now coming ashore on Florida beaches, the continued slow response and limited resources being directed to protect our coasts from the effects of the Deepwater blowout is extremely frustrating,” McCollum wrote. McCollum wants more skimmers and other equipment sent to Florida, a message conveyed earlier in the day by Crist.
Crist is scheduled to spend his Saturday in the Pensacola area, again meeting with state and local officials.
The Escambia County Health Department rescinded the health advisory for a portion of the beach. The area from Walkover 23 (just west of Portofino) on Pensacola Beach to the entrance of Fort Pickens is no longer under a health advisory. The entire Gulf Islands National Seashore from Fort Pickens to Johnson Beach is still under the advisory, according to county officials.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was able to spot a two mile stretch of oil ribbons and notify skimmers. Emergency officials said that allowed skimmer vessels to be dispatched to collect the oil before it hit the coast.
Pictured above: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist made an unscheduled trip to Pensacola Beach Friday as he tried to get more machinery to help Florida clean up oil. Meeting with recovery crews, Crist made a call to the incident commander in Mobile, asking for beach skimming equipment to help state and local officials keep the beaches clean. Accompanying Crist Friday were Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole, David Halstead, director of the Division of Emergency Management and U.S. Coast Guard Commander Joe Boudrow. Photo by Mike Peltier for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
7 Responses to “Crist Visits Pensacola Beach; Swimming Ban Partially Lifted”
When the tourists of this country find out the water is unfit it’s going to be Game Over for Florida tourism. Come to think about it, there isn’t much more to Florida when you take away tourism. This is like Nebraska losing its corn or Minnesota’s lakes going dry. The irony is that Florida put Cheney in office and it was all his illegal secret meetings that led to this.
Putting a black plastic bag over the health advisories on Pensacola Beach is a perfect metaphor for the negligent actions of the SRIA and the health department. I feel like I’m in an episode of Jaws. The air is thick with petroleum odor, the gulf water is foaming and muddy, and the number of tar balls on the beach is too high to hop skip and jump over. It is a Sunday on Pensacola Beach and the tourists are always going to find something to do but going to the shore or in the water should not be one of them. This beach is literally my home, and when I walked over with my infant in arms this afternoon and saw the black plastic bag over the health advisory posting and then mounted the peak of walkover 13 I was not only sorrowful to see the degraded conditions but also disappointed at the lack of maturity and seriousness this potential health hazard is being regarded.
Idiots! They are asking for trouble. I feel badly for the businesses being affected. Personally I would still go out there to eat and hang out but there is no way I’d get on the beach or in the water. This screams of greed.
The Environmental Protection Agency — federal officials who are daily testing the water here — advised Escambia County NOT to reopen these beaches. But the county has chosen to ignore that advisement, based on “looking” at the water? This is like watching a slow-motion trainwreck. I appreciate all Gov. Crist is doing, but local officials need to listen to the experts. The county health departments will ultimately be held liable for their desperate, negligent decisions. It is so sad to watch these beautiful towns and beaches under siege. Escambia County government, please heed the warnings of the EPA.
Here is more info:
http://www.pnj.com/article/20100626/NEWS01/6260322/1052
Crist even said he was ok with the ban being lifted as long as all of the appropriate testing had been done….but Esc Co health dept did not even go to the beach – they said SRIA told them the beach was clean.
I just don’t see this as a good thing….how can you lift a ban? hoping for business? I understand they’re desperate for tourist and business in general, but it is not wise to let people go swimming in certain areas because the oil is still around them…they could still get sick from it…don’t put the health of people at risk…cause even the smell is hazardous, right?
I promise you, I would NOT be swimming in that.