163.000 million years ago, the tectonic plates of the Caribbean and the North America drifted apart into an opening, now more popularly known as the Gulf of Mexico, which goes up further north of the Mississippi River Valley. Its north is bordered by America, its east by Cuba and by Mexico on its south and west. It covers an area 579,000 sq.mi. It is big enough a home to plants, animals and humans alike.
In April 20, 2010, a little mishap changes the Gulf and the lives depending on it. The semi-submersible Deepwater Horizon, an exploratory offshore drilling rig, exploded and sank two days later. The accident cost the lives of 11 workers and caused injury on 17 other men. But it wasn’t until April 24th that more damage was discovered. The wellhead was found to have a threatening dent, causing what has been the most harmful oil spillage in the history of the Mexican Gulf. The dangerous effect on human life and wildlife stretches along the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. Productive fishing areas like the Barataria Bay have completely gone out of business, owing to the spreading mass of grease and crude that has endangered almost 400 species of life. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has ordered 26 percent of the Gulf closed for fishing.
The US government reports that the estimated daily oil leakage goes up from 600,000 to 1.2 million gallons. But lately a group of task force scientists has determined after further investigation, that is actually within 798,000 to 1.8 million gallons. That is twice the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Recently a total approximation of oil loss since the day of the accident has shown numbers 23.7 million to 51.5 million gallons. Largely to blame is oil industry titan BP Oil.
The state of Florida is one of the 5 states most affected by the recent major oil spill that happened at the Gulf of Mexico. Like the other affected states, Florida has also suffered major losses in properties, businesses, wildlife and health. A lot of Florida residents, business owners and even visitors are experiencing the impact of this oil spill in their lives.
Oil Spill Attorneys
Also, as tourism is one of the major players in Florida’s local economy, a lot of efforts are being made to make sure that the tourism industry does not get affected overmuch. Florida’s Panhandle, the northernmost part of the state just above the Gulf of Mexico popular for its translucent water, has gotten the number one spot more than any other geographic area. However, the oil that is contaminating the water near Florida’s panhandle beaches are threatening to ruin damage control efforts for Florida’s tourism.
This threat has caused a lot of Florida business owners to temporarily close down on their businesses, giving them huge income losses.
This, coupled with a hundred more businesses engaged in the seafood market who have also experienced profit losses, caused Florida oil spill lawyers to devote their effort and resources into filing oil spill claim cases and criminal lawsuits against the companies accountable for the oil spill. They are actively campaigning for oil spill victims to take legal actions against the companies responsible for the disaster.
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These Florida oil spill attorneys work hard to find documents and evidence that they can use in order to prosecute the parties responsible for oil spills that have happened. These lawyers are expert in the field of environmental law which make them the perfect lawyers in litigating oil spill cases. Depending on the gravity of the situation, they will be able to give the client the best legal advice on how to proceed, given the client’s situation. As these Florida oil spill law firms are ranked very high by their clients, they give the best possibility of winning a case over against the accountable party.
For those residents who have been affected by the major oil spill that happened over at the Gulf of Mexico, there may be a possibility for you to be able to file an oil spill claim against the responsible parties, or file an oil spill claim to the National Pollution Funds Center.
For those residents in Louisiana, a number of groups composed of oil spill lawyers are available to assist you in either filing an oil spill claim or filing a lawsuit against the accountable party. Aside from Louisiana, places severely affected by this oil spill include Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Florida. Residents from these places who has had to suffer from personal injury or death, property loss or income loss, can file their claims or lawsuits to the corresponding agencies that will facilitate these oil spill claims or legal actions.
Before filing a legal action, it is important to consult first with an expert oil spill attorney as to what best action to pursue which can give the claim holder a better chance at winning. As BP’s corporate lawyers will also do anything to save their companies from losing a lot of money, it would be a wise decision to know all the options one can do and which option will give a better probability of success.
On top of being an environmental calamity, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is affecting tourism and travel in and around the affected coastal areas.
Potential visitors are beginning to re-evaluate travel to the threatened areas in expectation of beaches being hit by it. As Florida’s biggest source of income is in travel and tourism, officials liken this calamity to a hurricane threat which could cripple Florida’s tourism industry and definitely hurt the state’s local economy. Tourism groups and individuals have already taken legal actions to repair the damages caused by the oil spill on their businesses
Florida state tourism officials face hard decisions in how to deal with this issue particularly with regard to how to propagate information to the public as well as potential visitors. Florida tourism officials are taking to the airwaves to try and battle worries over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Despite the news of environmental concerns and health hazards in Florida due to the oil spill, they are still strongly advising and encouraging the public and potential Florida tourists to not cancel their vacations and emphasize that Florida is still a safe place to visit and reside in.
