The BP Oil Slick May Hit Florida's Beaches As Soon As Thursday
So, remember how BP offered to give Florida a cool $35 million to help their tourism industry survive the summer oil spill season? They may end up desperately needing it, as the unimpeded oil spill floats nearer to the beaches and specifically threatens the beach life of Pensacola.
The situation isn't looking good; officials have used words like "inevitable" and USA Today notes NOAA's findings that the oil slick could reach Floridian shores by Thursday, after sliding across Alabama's shore. Although BP has been doling out the emergency funds, they still haven't managed to deal with the cause of all this: the oil spill itself. The black stuff continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico after operations like Top Kill failed.
So although it looked like Florida would be able to ride high on their sold-out hotel rooms over the summer, the tides are literally turning and who knows if the beaches around Pensacola will be swimmable at this time next week. If that's the case, well then we can expect not only major Florida vacation discounts for late summer, but also economic distress along the coast, where so much depends on beachgoer dollars.
Related Stories:
· Oil Slick Moves Close to Florida Beaches [USAToday]
· Is the BP Oil Spill Wrecking Florida Tourism? [Jaunted]
· Travel News [Jaunted]
[Photo: AP]
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