A water tower on Interstate 10 proclaims that Pensacola is home to “Florida’s Most Beautiful Beaches.” With the BP oil leak fast approaching the triple digits and no permanent solution in sight, one has to wonder how long that claim will remain true. But for those living and working in the area, there's no choice but to adapt.
The Pensacola beaches have a reputation for being beautiful and crowded. On a recent Saturday afternoon, both appear to be holding true; white caps crest and fall in the clear water while beachgoers sunbathe and play football. It’s sunny, warm and picturesque, only now the scene also features workers in reflective jackets, hats and khakis moving up and down the beach.
It would be a typical day at the beach, if the beach didn’t sit next to the Gulf of Mexico. At the moment, however, the beach and the surf do not show any signs of oil slicks. A few days earlier, swimmers emerged from the ocean water with streaks of oil on their bodies, but now most of the evidence of oil pollution appears in the sand and sidewalks. Black oil specks, varying in size from doll buttons to charcoal briquettes, now appear in connect-the-dot patterns beside the beach towels and umbrellas.
Although things seem fine, Christy McNair, a Pensacola resident and frequent beach visitor, is not pleased. She stands in the sand next to a stick covered in oil and looks at the water.
“I’m really pissed because this is my home. The first time I went I expected huge oil slicks,” McNair said. “Having to go out and step in the oil makes me angry.”
Further up the beach from McNair, several clean-up crew members in khakis, day-glow vests and hats stand in the shade of a tent, sipping water and resting before going back on patrol. The results of their recent attempts sit in clear plastic bags several yards in front of the tent, which everyone stays clear of.
This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2010.