As Gulf Coast residents, how does the ever-growing oil spill looming in the Gulf of Mexico affect us? What implications will it have on our community? Is the Gulf Coast of Florida safe? These questions and concerns are currently being addressed in a Community Forum at the Palladium Theatre in St. Petersburg.
Panel 1 – About the Oil Spill
Dr. Ian McDonald, Professor, Biological Oceanography, Florida State University: Dr. McDonald’s presentation covers the elements that led to the oil spill. What did BP do wrong? Dr. McDonald says BP was trying to speed up the job and save money. They used faulty equipment, and didn’t test their cement to see if it was in tact as was their original plan, and the standard. Every company in this business is going to want to know precisely what happened, because they don’t want it to happen in their back yard, says McDonald.
D.T. Minich, Executive Director Visit St. Pete/Clearwater: Tourism is a $6 billion industry to Pinellas County alone, and the largest industry in the County. Even though oil hasn’t hit us, the perception up North is that Florida is covered in oil. The tourism statistics are down, and cancellations on major events have been made. This is with no oil even close to us, says Minich. Pinellas County has been coming out of the recession, and for the first time in almost a year, the amount of taxes visitors payed when staying in a hotel was up. But now, I’ve had businesses in tears, says Minich. We’re under attack, and we need to fight back. It took seventeen years for Exxon to pay back Alaska after the Exxon Valdez crisis. We cannot let that happen in Florida, says Minich.
Elected officials in the audience include: Mayor Bill Foster, Representative Janet Long, and Former-Mayor Rick Baker.
Panel 2 – The Media’s Perspective
Preston Rudie, Chanel 10 CBS WTSP-TV: Be responsible, advises Rudie to the media. He expressed worry the public and the media will get tired of the story, or oiled out. The media has to make the story compelling, he says. This is a story that impacts all of us. Rudie also expressed concern that since the story is happening further away, the images and video used come from other sources. The media must make sure the images are authentic and must let their audiences know it didn’t come from them. Images portray strong, powerful messages, so the media must be cautious of how they present it to viewers.
Rob Lorei, WMNF Radio and WEDU-TV: Lorei says that BP is trying to control the message being conveyed in the media, and that reporters are being stopped from going out among the mangroves and the marshes that have been effected by the oil spill. His listeners are asking him, Who’s in charge? His listeners are also expressing concerns over the dispersants. Lorei admits he’s not an expert on dispersants, but he can ask questions. Are the dispersants safe? He’s been hearing that they aren’t safe. They can cause cancer, and they can settle on the sea bed and effect it for a long, long time. Environmentalists have been calling BP trying to get them to stop. His listeners are asking why the government and BP is not using non-toxic alternatives. He also wonders why BP is being allowed to spray this controversial material on the oil leak.
Mitch Perry, Creative Loafing: When the oil spill first happened, people weren’t as concerned, because they thought it would be handled right away. Fifty-six days later, a momentum against offshore drilling has occurred, but Perry fears the momentum has been dying down because of the length of the story. We live in a short attention span society. Governor Crist talked about calling a special session, but decided against it, because he didn’t think he had the votes in the house. People say we’re not getting the leadership we need in a time of crisis. Perry also pointed out that the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara led to the Clean Air Act, and the first Earth Day, and that California has never drilled off their shores since.
The crowd erupted in cheers when the moderator asked How many of you would support a constitutional amendment banning off-shore drilling in Florida? A minority of the crowd was against this.
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2010.
