As the BP oil spill grows, fishermen, tourism businesses and landowners are bracing for what could be one of the worst environmental disasters in history, damaging property and commerce from New Orleans to Pensacola, and beyond.
A Gulf Breeze fisherman says he fears he could lose all revenue for the rest of the year.
Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency for 19 counties. Current estimates show nearly 800 miles of Gulf coast property could be damaged by the BP oil spill.
(See http://www.northescambia.com/?p=16597 for more details.)
Lawyers in the Florida panhandle are already working on lawsuits and filing claims for business owners and residents.