Northwest Florida Should Escape Most Oil This Week, DEP Says

Northwest Florida beaches should stay relatively clean of oil this week, the secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection told reporters Tuesday.

I dont expect any impact this week at all, except for some occasional tar balls, said Secretary Mike Sole Tuesday morning in the Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

Shifting winds in the Gulf have pushed BP's oozing oil west, with a smattering of tar balls landing on the Texas Gulf Coast over the weekend. The impact on the Florida coast for the remainder of the spill is uncertain and dependent on the winds and currents. But for now, the beaches are looking relatively clean, and the state is advising visitors to use their best judgment when deciding where to go into the water.

Fresh from a trip to observe the states boom operations and beach cleanup, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, said he was seeking to assure that local governments would receive proper reimbursement from BP, which is responsible for the spill cleanup.

Northwest Florida counties recently received a promise of $2.7 million, most of it for Escambia County, for their oil spill response from BP -- money Nelson pushed for. The money promised by BP is less than a third of the $9 million the counties requested.

Nelson is still seeking additional U.S. Navy skimmers to come tofederal Gulf and state near-shore waters. As of Friday, nine had been sent, Nelson said. "Eighteen more are coming."