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.
On Monday, members of Gov. Charlie Crists Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force said that if the recovery process is to move forward, BP and state agencies must release more details of how they are recording or responding to claims.
The Economic Impact Assessment Working Group, including lawmakers, government officials and others, spent two hours reviewing the states and BPs resources for helping businesses recover from losses caused by the spill gushing unobstructed into the Gulf of Mexico for the last two months. Unsurprisingly, the group found those resources lacking.
Determining losses is an unprecedented undertaking in the state, the group agreed.
This is a very different process, said Lisa Echeverri, the executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue. This is a claims support process. Which is why its vitally important for the state to come together as one voice.
The state will receive reports on the sales tax revenue for May in June, along with bed-tax records from counties. Even then, it may not be a sufficient indication of whether the spill affected businesses, because it's only the first full month after the spill. The state also has to decide whether it compares the statistics to last year, when Florida was suffering from the recession, or to peak years.
The Economic Estimating Conference, which advises the Legislature on the economic impact of proposed bills, also said that the toll of the spill wont be known until later this summer.
Carol Dover, president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said BP's daily tracking of statistics doesnt give her an accurate accountingof the tourism industrysclaim. The company tracks claims from the restaurant and rental industries, but it doesnt list how many of the rental claims come from hotels, Dover said. It needs to do that, she said, because rentals are not necessarily hotel rooms.
BP has received 239 claims from restaurants in the state and paid out $83,000. It has received 1,822 claims from rental units and paid out $569,000. BP has received a total of 17,083 claims in Florida and has paid out $15.2 million.
The group suggested Florida send a letter to BP asking for the oil giant to elaborate on how it classifies its claims. The state also needs to map out which agencies are responsible for reporting which claims, the group suggested. Since a man-made disaster is so rare in the state, Florida needs to coordinate between its disparate agencies to define what counts as a loss and identify which agency is responsible for reporting what damages, the group agreed.
The Agency for Workforce Innovation, which tracks labor statistics in the state, is working on a map that locates what businesses are being impacted by the spill, said Cynthia Lorenzo, director.
The agency, which also manages unemployment payments, has received more than 120 claims related to the spill. But that doesnt give a true picture of the losses because the self-employed dont qualify for unemployment. The BP claims office will compensate self-employed individuals, Lorenzo said.
"Opportunity loss" was of deep concern for state Rep. Joseph Bembry, R-Madison. Oystermen and small-time fishermen are going to have trouble recording business as a whole, Bembry said, because of a loss of customers rather than damage to equipment or to other tangibles.
But of utmost concern to Bembry and Dover was the impression cleanup crews dressed in Hazmat suits gave as they searched Northwest Florida beaches for tar balls. The gooey oil globs have been washing ashore as far east and south as Panama City. Its fine to have crews suited when they know tar balls are on the beaches, Bembry said, but they scare away tourists when they suit up for simple reconnaissance.
They walk and walk and walk, and they just run everybody off the beaches, he said.
Reach Alex Tiegen at atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com or call (561) 329-5389.
