I took this video of Panama City Beach and the Gulf of Mexico showing people still in the water and enjoying the beach. For those of you that have been coming to Panama City Beach for a while, you are familiar with the annual bloom of seaweed and what it is like when it washes in. That is what is happening right now. Lots of green seaweed in the water, the kind that gets in the crack of your…. bathing suit

If that is the worst thing happening here, I’ll take it

Here is our latest of amateur videos showing the water status as of 6-10-10.

CONTACT: GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
850-488-5394

Governor Crist Announces Proactive Reconnaissance
Measures to Protect Florida’s Beaches
~~State assets search daily by air, land and sea from sunup to sundown ~~

TALLAHASSEE –Governor Charlie Crist today announced that the State of Florida is taking additional proactive measures to ensure the quick and timely discovery of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Reconnaissance missions are being coordinated daily from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee using air, land, and sea assets from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Florida Civil Air Patrol, and the Florida National Guard.

“While we acknowledge that the Coast Guard and BP, as the responsible party, are in charge of the response to this oil spill, I have asked our state team to use all available assets to proactively evaluate the potential areas of impact by air, land and sea,” said Governor Crist. “We have a responsibility to our residents, businesses and visitors to exhaust all possible avenues and to work to avoid the tragic scenes we have seen along the coastline in Louisiana. This level of response can be done only by using these aggressive reconnaissance methods from first light each day until dark. I want to thank the members of our state team for their dedication to this mission on behalf of all Floridians.”

These reconnaissance missions that started last week are being conducted from Perdido Key in Escambia County to Cape San Blas in Gulf County. Search areas are divided into approximately five-mile increments, with all terrain vehicles (ATVs) patrolling the coastline looking for any evidence of land-falling oil products. Boats are patrolling the gulf waters in these areas looking for evidence of oil sheen or other oil byproducts, and air assets are evaluating waters out to nine miles from shore daily and further when directed. When evidence of oil is detected, the reconnaissance teams quickly report their findings back to the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. Then teams hired by the responsible party, BP, can be dispatched to the impacted areas through Unified Command in Mobile, Alabama, to perform cleanup, skimming or other mitigation measures in a timely fashion.

The aerial teams are equipped with cameras that geocode the location of what are believed to be impacts from the oil spill. Aerial teams then send images to the State Emergency Operations Center, so they can be mapped and relayed to response teams who are deployed to that location to take appropriate actions. The attached map shows the area of operations, flight patterns and where the state’s assets are deployed in these five-mile zones and actively working to mitigate the impacts of oil on Florida’s beaches.

Two plans created by the United States Coast Guard, BP and the impacted states, including Florida, outline the steps for shoreline assessment and cleanup to ensure quick and efficient response to oil on our shores. Those plans include The Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT) Plan and the Mobile Sector Near Shore and Shoreline Stage I and II Response Plan.

The SCAT Plan outlines the role of SCAT teams and provides a process for collecting shoreline oil data used to create cleanup plans. SCAT teams consist of trained representatives from BP, the federal government and the state. The response plan addresses response in three stages: recovering oil in the water, placing boom and other protective measures along the most sensitive areas of Florida’s coastline, and cleaning up any oil that does impact Florida’s shores as quickly as possible, both while the oil discharge continues from Deepwater Horizon and after the leak is stopped.

The first stage of response involves oil removal from near shore waters using skimming devices, vacuum systems, booming and other appropriate methods. These removal methods are currently being used to prevent oil from reaching Florida’s shoreline. Approximately 261,250 feet of boom has been placed in Florida along the most sensitive areas of the Panhandle, and several counties in the western tip of the Panhandle are moving forward with supplemental booming plans.

The second stage of the response plan outlines the cleanup methods for a variety of habitats, including beaches, marshes, and man-made structures such as docks and pilings. Boom will likely not prevent tar balls, tar mats and very sticky weathered oil from washing onshore. Therefore, the most feasible cleanup method in this stage is manual removal of oil with hand tools or mechanical equipment used by authorized and trained individuals. The third stage is intended to finalize shoreline cleanup in habitats that may be adversely affected by oil after the leak is stopped.

BP has contracted with Waste Management Services (WM) for removal of waste generated from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This plan has been approved by the Unified Command in Mobile with input from the State of Florida. Learn more about treatment and disposal options here<http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/files/treatment_disposal_options.pdf> (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/files/treatment_disposal_options.pdf).

For the most up-to-date information on Florida’s Deepwater Horizon response, as well as health and safety tips, visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com<http://www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com><http://www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com/>, follow www.twitter.com/FLDEPalert<http://www.twitter.com/FLDEPalert><http://www.twitter.com/FLDEPalert> or call the Florida Oil Spill Information Line at (888) 337-3569.

Here is a link to the latest Panama City Oil Spill 72 Hour Trajectory Map updated on 6-8-10.

Actually, this is the NOAA forecast for the entire Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Incident trajectory forecast, but since most of my postings have to do with Panama City Beach, I kind of fudged the title a little.

Please be aware that false rumors are circulating.  Here’s the truth–There is no scheduled oil impact, no dead marine life washing up, and the air quality has no “smell of oil.” Don’t cancel your vacation–Panama City Beach is still very much open to the public and hasn’t had any impact from the Oil Spill.

Video taken at the waters edge in Panama City Beach Florida.

Video of the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach Florida showing calmer and clear water. I am planning on spending my entire day on the beach (have been working the last few days) and I am going to get my tan on

This time we get a little closer to the water….

Lots of seaweed from the storm, but still no oil or tar balls.

Panama City Beach 6-6-10 Showing vacationers enjoying the beach and the ocean.

Here are a few of the last few remaining vacancies we have for the month of June 2010. The prices referenced below are for a full week (7 nights) and your actual quote may vary from the price shown based on number of night needed. The prices shown below do not include the 12.11% tax, departure cleaning fee, or $250 refundable damage deposit as these need to be calculated based on your actual stay.

Book Now and get 10% off the price posted!!

Properties Available between Sat, Jun 5, 2010 and Sat, Jun 12, 2010 include:

1705 Aqua Beachside Resort

2 bedroom with bunk area 2 baths sleeps 8

Free beach chair service during season

Website: http://www.bluesunproperties.com/panama-city-beach-vacation-rentals/1705-aqua-beachside-resort.html

Rate for requested dates: $1,500.00 / Week (Does not include tax + cleaning + damage deposit)

Availability: • Sat, Jun 5, 2010 — through — Sat, Jun 12, 2010 Checkout — (7 Nights Available)

805 Aqua Beachside Resort

2 bedroom with bunk 2 bath sleeps 8

Free Beach Chair Service during season

Website: http://www.bluesunproperties.com/panama-city-beach-vacation-rentals/805-aqua-beachside-resort.html

Rate for requested dates: $1,500.00 / Week (Does not include tax + cleaning + damage deposit)

Availability: • Sat, Jun 5, 2010 — through — Sat, Jun 12, 2010 Checkout — (7 Nights Available)

Properties Available between Tue, Jun 15, 2010 and Sun, Jun 20, 2010 include:

Please feel free to contact us at 270-836-7206 if you have any questions.