Not a drop of oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill has washed up on shores south of Floridas Big Bend. And Southwest and Central Gulf Coast Realtors have their fingers crossed, hoping beyond hope it stays that way so their waterfront property remains clean and their housing markets survive the disaster.

Darryl Willis, vice president of resources for BP, sought to assure Gov. Charlie Crist's Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force on Wednesday that his company is committed to improving its claims process.

In a crisis, Chris Thompson and the states public-private tourism marketing corporation are responsible for enticing weary travelers to Florida hotels, restaurants and beaches. And the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a crisis for the tourism industry -- an industry that generates roughly $20 billion annually.

Thompson and Visit Florida have been blitzing the states prime markets with promotions showing that Northwest Florida beaches and tourist destinations are open, in an attempt to keep the states restaurants and hotel rooms full. And they are in for a long campaign.

Florida has absolutely no frame of reference for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill or its effect on the state economy. And officials admit it will take years -- not weeks or months -- before they can respond to all the claims likely to come from the disaster.

An optimistic report that foresees high-speed rail systems driving high-dollar growth and jobs in hub cities nationwide -- including Orlando -- is being assailed by one national critic as "absurd" and skewed.

Wendell Cox, an Illinois-based transportation and urban planning expert who served on the Los Angeles Transportation Commission and national Amtrak reform council, doubts that the proposed high-speed rail systems will benefit such hub cities anything like as much as claimed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Look no further than the unprecedented environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to find an example of the need for stronger management of marine and coastal environments -- and resources -- in Florida.

In his first address in the state capital, Republican Rick Scott told a crowd of about 350 on Tuesday that, if elected governor, he will fight for reduced regulation, tighter control on immigration and less taxation.

Finally succumbing to pressure from a legion of Florida public officials, members of Congress and the president of the United States, British Petroleum agreed Wednesday to set aside $20 billion in an independently managed escrow account to compensate for losses caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Though state waters in Escambia County had been closed to saltwater fishing for less than a day, some of the areas fishing-related businesses Monday afternoon were already fretting the loss of customers.

Today weve done about $20 in business, said Doug Vance, owner of Grays Tackle and Guide Service.