If we see any impacts at all it is more likely we would see the appearance of oil that is degraded, such as “floating tar balls and/or scattered patches of weathered oil, perhaps mixed with Sargassum (algae) or other floating material,”  This is much easier (and faster) to clean up.

To read the full article click here

But have you heard the rummor that a methane gas buble might cause a tsunami in the Gulf. What will someone think of next.

Here are the facts:

Message of the day:

A myth is circulating regarding a methane gas bubble that could cause a tsunami, impacting Florida. Tsunamis are unlikely to occur as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident. These rumors involve the naturally occurring methane beneath the seafloor in the Macondo Discovery, which is the petroleum reservoir into which the Deepwater Horizon production well was drilled. Scientists and engineers are aware of the physical and chemical behavior of methane in the earth and ocean, as well as during production of petroleum. Science does not support the notion of a methane-induced tsunami resulting from Deepwater Horizon activities. However, while the possibility of an induced tsunami is extremely remote, DEP continues to take all concerns seriously and is consulting with experts in all related scientific fields. View the following DEP fact sheet with more information about methane gas and the Deepwater Horizon incident: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/files/methane_fact_sheet.pdf. 

Current Situation

• The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1 or full activation.
• The State Emergency Response Team continues to focus on mitigating impacts to Florida’s shoreline.
• State reconnaissance teams operating by air, land and sea continue to identify potential impacts and are actively coordinating with cleanup teams. View the latest reconnaissance reports.
• Four Florida branch offices are fully operational in Northwest Florida. These branch offices bring together federal, state and local agencies to streamline response efforts.
• Currently Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP continues the well integrity test, which is being closely monitored. Learn more.
• Isolated impacts are expected to continue in Northwest Florida over the next 72 hours.
• A tropical wave in the Central Caribbean Sea and a tropical wave in the Southwest Atlantic have a 20 percent change for development in the next 48 hours.
• Oil Impact Notices are posted for all Escambia County and Walton County Gulf beaches, as well as designated beaches in Okaloosa County. Signs may remain in place until local authorities determine that beaches are no longer impacted by the oil spill. Learn more.
• The current federal fisheries closure in the Gulf of Mexico measures 83,927 square miles. This leaves approximately 65 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. This federal closure does not apply to any state waters. Learn more.
• A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. Learn more.

Learn More About Florida’s Response:

• Visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com to learn more about Florida’s response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, sign up for daily updates, view tips for businesses and consumers, find a listing of Unified Command, BP and Florida phone numbers, and more.
• The Oil Spill Information Line is available at 1-888-337-3569 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week. Persons with disabilities can contact 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (voice).

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The Department of Environmental Protection values your feedback as a customer. DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole is committed to continuously assessing and improving the level and quality of services provided to you. Please take a few minutes to comment on the quality of service you received. Simply click on this link to the DEP Customer Survey. Thank you in advance for completing the survey.

Click below to see video.

Hello;
I just spoke to a client of mine in the oil industry who is currently working in the northern gulf coast. He has been retained as an environmental clean up specialist and has been utilized in the past for previous incidents involving similar remedediation. Even though he is under confidentiality with government he could disclose to me that the leak would continue for a couple more weeks and that even if it does the materials would not come any closer than 60 miles off shore because of the makeup of the waters around our coast. Our friends to the south, lower than Naples, may see some debris but we will not UNLESS we have a hurricane in the gulf. Because of uncontrollable gases in the waters around the breakage and flow, they are having difficulty with methods they have pushed to get the job done sooner than later in capping the break. In the meantime they do have a solution that is being implemented but it will take a couple more weeks. The issue he mentioned to me is media obtaining information from many sources that are not credible or information that is coming from government that is filtered because of an ongoing investigation against BP and its affiliates. The media has a lot of control over positive and negative information which effects us all. It is our responsibility to keep our clients an friends updated. I will continue to do so from my client so you can let yours know a well. I am aware that some of you are also closely related to this incident and are receiving updates so if we can all work together with this it would help us educate our clients. If we leave it up to media we will be generalized as the gulf coast.

We will do our best to keep you updated with the most current accurate information on the spill.

In the following article we will look at some important aspects of the current Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  And how the press is not making it clear to the American public that as bad as the spill is, it is not and most likely will not be the worst oil spill the Gulf of Mexico has ever seen.  The press simply by adding the words “US” after “Worst in”, can make is sound worse than it really is.  As we all know nothing sells more papers and attracts more people to read a news article than “Worst Ever”. So let’s take a closer look at how this spill stacks up against a much bigger spill some 30 years ago in the Gulf of Mexico.

• If BP is able to stop the Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill by August 15th an estimated total of 18 million gallons will be spilled in Gulf of Mexico according to current projections.

•  In 1979-1980 The Ixtoc spilled 140 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico

•  What was the impact that the Ixtoc spill had on the environment and economy?

The Projected End of Spill

Projected time for the oil spill to be stopped is sometime in August according to BP in an ABC online News Article:

“…..The eyes of the world are on the ongoing disaster, and BP is drilling relief wells to divert the leaking oil if nothing else works. The company has said it should be done by August.” Click here to see the ABC News Article

The Projected Amount

“So far by day 37  (in an article dated June 2^nd ) it is estimated 6 million gallons have spilled”  Click here to see the USA Today Article

By August 15^th (twice as long as the 37 days that started on June 2^nd) there should be a total of 18 million gallons spilled in gulf

Compared to 140 million gallons of oiled spilled from the Ixtoc disaster.  Click here to see a chart of other spills

 “The 2-mile-deep exploratory well, Ixtoc I, blew out on June 3, 1979 in the Bay of Campeche off Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico. By the time the well was brought under control in March, 1980, an estimated 140 million gallons of oil had spilled into the bay.”

 7½ times as much oil as is projected from the current spill.

 Ixtoc Oil Spill Impact

 “The Ixtoc spill, ‘despite being of great proportions did not (…) cause the deadly environmental impact over the diverse communities and elements that make up the Campeche Sound.’  But another study, carried out by Swedish researchers in 1981, appears to contradict that view.”  Click here to see the BBC News Article concerning the 1979 Ixtoc spill

Significant Conclusions

The results of the economic impact analyses conducted following the IXTOC I and BURMAH AGATE oil spills indicated that: (1) the only significant decline in tourism within the 19-county region of the Texas coast was noted in the South Padre Island area; (2) there was no negative impact upon tourism from the BURMAH AGATE spill at the subregional level, while the IXTOC I spill was estimated to have decreased tourist activity by approximately four million dollars; this difference was attributed to the seasons during which the spills occurred; and (3) the estimated costs of the IXTOC I spill to industry and government made it one of the world’s most expensive oil spills. Click here to read the entire IXTOC I Oil Spill Economic Impact Study

“….the BP spill seems to be repeating one truth already demonstrated in the Ixtoc spill … that human technology is no match for a high-pressure undersea oil blowout … scientists are hoping that it may eventually confirm another: that the environment has a stunning capacity to heal itself from manmade insults.”

“The environment is amazingly resilient, more so than most people understand,” says Luis A. Soto, a deep-sea biologist with advanced degrees from Florida State University and the University of Miami who teaches at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

“To be honest, considering the magnitude of the spill, we thought the Ixtoc spill was going to have catastrophic effects for decades …But within a couple of years, almost everything was close to 100 percent normal again.”

That kind of optimism was unthinkable at the time of the spill, which took nearly 10 months to cap. The 30,000 barrels of oil a day it spewed into the ocean obliterated practically every living thing in its path. As it washed ashore, in some zones marine life was reduced by 50 percent; in others, 80 percent. Click here to read the Article

Aftermath of Ixtoc

Even after 31 years, the final effect of the Ixtoc 1 oil spill is not fully known. However, it is clear that it did not produce wide-scale environmental disaster or species extinction. The oil was dispersed or literally eaten within a couple years. Undoubtedly, as with Deepwater Horizon, countless birds and aquatic animals died. One additional effect that may prove important is that of the dispersant chemicals which BP used on the oil. These chemicals are highly toxic and may prove to be even more damaging than the oil itself. But this is speculative.
Click here to read more

 To read the National Article Click Here.

 To read the Local Sarasota Article Click Here.

 Nationally, April was the third consecutive month of increases in the number of home sales.

 In the Northeast sales rose nearly 30%. Now our friends from the Northeast can come to Sarasota and buy their dream house.

Click here to view the entire article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune

Builders are building smaller less expensive homes to meet the demands of the market place. 

We are seeing the same results in resales of existing homes.  The numbers of homes sold is increasing and the median price keeps droping. Many project the fall in prices will continue for the rest of 2010 and some project it will be later in 2011 before things improve.

Case Shiller Future Prices