Impact of the Oil Crisis in the Gulf on Tampa Bay forum at SPC, July 14

Two panels of experts will discuss the likelihood that oil from the Deepwater Horizon accident will reach Tampa Bay, response plans, and the economic and environmental impacts of the spill at a community forum at 6 p.m., Wednesday, July 14.

The forum, Impact of the Gulf Oil Crisis on Tampa Bay, will be at the Digitoirum on SPC’s Seminole Campus, 9200 113th Street North, Seminole.

The first panel will cover Current Realities of the Oil Spill and Tampa Bay, moderated by Geophysical Engineer Dan Berard. Topics include the spill’s impact on tourism and the economy, featuring panelists D.T. Minich, executive director of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Keith Overton, executive director of TradeWinds Island Resorts. Laurie Macdonald, Florida Program Director of Defenders of Wildlife, will discuss the issue of habitat.

This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2010.