Businesses worried that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could cause them to lose customers and revenue have a new shoulder to lean on.
The Gulf Oil Spill Recovery Task Force was created Tuesday to assist and advise industries that could be impacted by the spill, which has been threatening Florida since late April. And Florida's tourism and hospitality industry sees it an asset that will help it market itself.
"I think for our industry, it's just critical to get out a positive message that Florida's beaches are open for business, and that takes a lot of resources to get the message out across the country, across the world," said Carol Dover, president of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
The state-run task force, created in an executive order by Gov. Charlie Crist, will consist of two of the most promininet toursim advocacy groups in the state, as well as members of the seafood, manufacturing and other business sectors, along with the federal Small Business Administration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other government agencies.
The board will coordinate state efforts to aid businesses affected by the spill unleashed after an explosion on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig, try to quantify the losses caused by the disaster, monitor BP's payments of financial relief and potential claims and market the tourist industry and businesses on its yet-to-be-launched Web site.
The task force is one more step were taking to make sure that we are prepared, Crist said.
Business representatives on the task force will include Chris Thompson, CEO and president of Visit Florida, a member of the Florida Lodging and Restaurant Association and a member of a regional Chamber of Commerce.
So far, state beaches have escaped any direct impact from the hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil that began spilling from the Deepwater Horizon rig after it caught fire late last month.
But the hospitality industry has insisted that news that the spill has reached Floridas shores could drive tourists away. Members of the fishing industry have also started to seek lawsuits against BP.
In the meantime, Visit Florida, the states official tourism marketing board, unveiled its plan for convincing the world that the beaches are still open and unsullied by the spill.
Visit Florida started Tuesday the Live Florida feature on its web site to show that the beaches are clean. The agencys website plots out key beach destinations on Google maps and features photos, webcam video and Twitter and Facebook updates.
Thompson said Visit Floridas promotion efforts could be used by the task force to show regional beaches stay clean and safe.
We need to provide that ability to each and every county, Thompson said.
Dover said the task force could inject extra money into promotions for the industry. The Panhandle, one of the areas predicted to be among the first that could be hit by the spill, contains 3,200 restaurants and 1,600 hotels and lodging places, and those on the coast are in danger of silent phones and empty rooms this summer.
The oil spill overshadowed most of the discussion as the Visit Florida board sat in the highest ballroom of the Hotel Duval and went over important events to affect tourism in the past year. One of the most important pieces of legislation that could have affected Florida's tourist market was incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon's proposal to allow offshore oil drilling in Florida waters. The spill has thankfully tabled that discussion, Dover said.
