Rick Outzen here in Pensacola has been doing an excellent job of investigative reporting covering the response of BP and state and local governments to the ongoing tragedy off our shores.
This piece is just too important to keep to ourselves so I had to share here.
A little background:
BP has given the state of Florida $25 million to get out the word that out beaches are still unspoiled and open for business.
Escambia County, home of Pensacola Beach, is both the poorest county in the state and one of the most conservative. This is Rubio country. We are the westernmost county in the state and thus closest to the source of the oil spill. The economy is based on beach tourism and naval aviation training.
However none of the BP money is coming to us. Gov Crist has decided that the tourism promotion dollars will be in the form of a grant that must be matched by the receiving county.
Bottom line... look for lots of nice ads showing Mickey Mouse, Shamu, Miami Beach and other parts of Florida that are not threatened by the spill but have more money to spend since they won't be using it for beach cleanup and most importantly voters likely to support Crist in November.
We must hold both BP and our govenment accountable. And we must elect Kendrick Meek to the US Senate.
Update: Looks like Charlie is rethinking and will no longer require matching funds for area tourism marketing efforts to receive the BP monies. Instead they will be divided out to various agencies.