http://www.keysnet.com/2010/05/20/221372/crist-declares-state-of-emergency.html

by Keysnet staff.  May 20, 2010

Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday added Monroe and Miami-Dade counties to the list of Florida counties where a state of emergency exists due to the Deepwater Horizon oil-rig explosion and subsequent Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

He initially declared a state of emergency for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay and Gulf counties on April 30, eight days after the explosion.

He extended that to 13 other counties on May 3 and, on Thursday, added Monroe, Miami-Dade and five other counties. There are 67 counties in Florida.

The oil has made it to the Loop Current, which circulates down the west coast of the state, around the Keys and up the East Coast. Officials say that current could bring tar balls from the oil spill down to the Keys within days.

Many officals and business owners are fearful of lost business down here due to the misperception that oil had made it to Keys shores or the reef. An official state of emergency means there might be government financial help not only for businesses, but for the local government in case any cleanup efforts are expended.

The Key West City Commission will convene an informational workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday at Old City Hall at 510 Greene St. to address issues related to the spill. Representatives of federal agencies involved in the response, as well as representatives of BP, which owns the Deepwater Horizon, have been invited.