Florida Deepwater Horizon Response July 21, 2010
TALLAHASSEE – Under the leadership of Governor Charlie Crist, the State Emergency Response Team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are actively coordinating and responding to the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Message of the day: Florida Seafood is Safe
Although a portion of Florida’s coastal waters offshore of Escambia County are temporarily closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp, Florida seafood products remain safe and plentiful and have not been affected by the oil spill. Most of the Gulf of Mexico is untouched by oil, and Florida’s commercial fishermen continue to harvest products from these clean waters. In addition, Florida government agencies continue to monitor water samples off Florida’s coast for any potential impacts by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food Safety, is responsible for assuring the public of a safe, wholesome and properly represented food supply through permitting and inspection of food establishments, inspection of food products, and performance of specialized laboratory analyses on a variety of food products sold or produced in the state. The division monitors food from farm gate through processing and distribution to the retail point of purchase. Learn more at http://www.fl-seafood.com/.
Current Situation
· The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1 or full activation.
· The State continues to focus on mitigating impacts to Florida’s shoreline.
· A tropical wave in the Southwest Atlantic near Puerto Rico and Hispaniola has a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression within the next 48 hours.
· State reconnaissance teams operating by air, land and sea continue to identify potential impacts and are actively coordinating with cleanup teams. View the latest reconnaissance reports.
· Four Florida branch offices are fully operational in Northwest Florida. These branch offices bring together federal, state and local agencies to streamline response efforts.
· Currently Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP continues the well integrity test, which is being closely monitored. Learn more.
· Isolated impacts are expected to continue in Northwest Florida over the next 72 hours. Nearly 90 percent of Florida’s more than 1,260 miles of coastline remains unimpacted.
· Oil Impact Notices are posted for all Escambia County and Walton County Gulf beaches, as well as designated beaches in Okaloosa County. Signs may remain in place until local authorities determine that beaches are no longer impacted by the oil spill. Learn more.
· The current federal fisheries closure in the Gulf of Mexico measures 83,927 square miles. This leaves approximately 65 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. This federal closure does not apply to any state waters. Learn more.
· A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. Learn more.
Learn More About Florida’s Response:
· Visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com to learn more about Florida’s response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, sign up for daily updates, view tips for businesses and consumers, find a listing of Unified Command, BP and Florida phone numbers, and more.
· The Oil Spill Information Line is available at 1-888-337-3569 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week. Persons with disabilities can contact 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (voice).
