Sarasota County ends Deepwater Horizon state of emergency
(AUGUST 31, 2010) Sarasota County officials today lifted the local state of emergency declared in May in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Tuesday’s action came after Governor Charlie Crist amended his executive order declaring a state of emergency from the oil spill, eliminating Sarasota County and 17 other counties. The state of emergency remains in place for seven counties in the Florida Panhandle.
Other counties eliminated from the Governor’s Executive Order are Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties.

The Deepwater Horizon well ceased discharging oil on July 15 and no additional oil is expected to be released into the Gulf of Mexico. The state Emergency Operations Center is now at a Level 3 monitoring status.

Any suspected oil or tar ball sightings in Sarasota County should be reported to Sarasota County Environmental Services at 941-861-5000, and the state Watch Office at 1-800-320-0519 or 1-850-413-9900.

---

NOAA Reopens More than 5,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area
NOAA (August 10, 2010)  NOAA reopened 5,144 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states. (MORE)

Federal science report details fate of oil from BP spill
WASHINGTON (August 4, 2010) The vast majority of the oil from the BP oil spill has either evaporated or been burned, skimmed, recovered from the wellhead or dispersed using chemicals – much of which is in the process of being degraded. Much of this is the direct result of the federal response efforts. (MORE)

Sea turtle hatchlings relocated from the Gulf of Mexico’s oil spill area released into the Atlantic Ocean
MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (August 3, 2010)  More than 45 threatened and endangered sea turtle hatchlings were released the night of Aug. 2, on a remote beach along Florida’s East Coast, the final stage in an unprecedented rescue effort. (MORE)

Sarasota County continues to monitor oil spill
SARASOTA COUNTY (July 30, 2010) Sarasota County has been deeply involved in all aspects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill emergency to protect local waterways, beaches and properties from any potential impact. This overview describes the scope of our efforts and preparations. Although BP has been described as the “responsible party” in the oil spill, BP isn’t in charge of the response to the spill. BP is responsible for all of the expenses related to the oil spill response and recovery. (MORE)