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It will be a few days before we know if BP’s attempt to cover the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is successful. But even if the 100 ton dome stops oil from gushing into the gulf, as Whitney Ray tells us, there will still be more than 11 million gallons of oil in the water threatening our beaches.

Gert McGee is casting for a big catch. He’s already caught lunch. He’s hoping for dinner.

“They are there, you just have to go out and find them. I don’t got no boat or nothing so I just fish on the edge,” said Gert.

But Gert’s days fishing in the St. Marks Salt Marsh may be coming to an end.

A massive oil slick is growing in the gulf and could make its way here. It couldn’t come at a worse time. May is when fish swim inland to lay their eggs in the estuaries. If the oil interrupts that process, it could be devastating to the fishing industry.

Paul Johnson, a marine life and oil policy expert says if the slick makes it into estuaries the casualties will be enormous.

“We’re not talking about just losing this generation of marine fish and wildlife, we are talking about next generation and that’s sad to see that happening,” said Johnson.

We won’t know until this weekend if efforts to cap the leak are successful, but even if they are there will still be 11 million gallons of oil in the gulf.

The wind and water currents have been good to Florida so far. The longer conditions keep the oil at bay the more time it has to break apart and sink to the ocean floor.

Florida Fishermen want people to know that their catch is still clean of any oil toxins and safe to eat. Fear has kept many people from buying Florida fish.

Organizing Oil Cleanup Efforts

It may prove cheaper and easier to mobilize volunteers to help with the clean up efforts if the oil from the gulf leak hits Florida beaches. The toxicity of the oil is lower than expected, which means volunteers who want to pitch in won’t have to take expensive Hazmat classes before they can get to work. Paul Johnson worked for the Florida governor in 1989 and witnessed clean up efforts from the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Johnson says manpower will play a huge role in the clean up.

“When the time comes in Florida, we needs those people to go through this informational briefing, be approved by BP to get involved in the clean up, then get to work cleaning up our coast, because the last thing we as Floridians want is for this beautiful environment to be tainted like I’m afraid it’s going to be,” said Johnson.

Volunteers are already at work around the gulf coast picking up trash and debris. They are also signing up with their county EOC, to help once the oil hits.

Despite being nick named the Sunshine State, Florida’s dependence on oil, both domestic and foreign, is growing. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the last thirty years have been three decades of missed opportunity.

As early as 1980, then-governor Bob Graham was calling for tax breaks for solar energy.

“If we do not change by the year 1990, every Floridian will have 25 percent less available energy,” Graham said.

But successes have been few and far between. Solar contractor Peter Rosen is measuring one of his last Florida buildings for a solar installation. Rosen plans on moving his company out of state after Florida ran out of money for solar rebates, leaving eight thousand people with a broken promise.

“I could do solar anywhere in this country because there are federal rebates,” Rosen said. “Why not go to a state that is also going to subsidize it and make it a lot easier to sell.”

A second failed promise is ethanol.

In 1980, the state legislature required that all gasoline sold be at least 10 percent ethanol. But then they did away with that requirement before it ever took effect.

Florida motorists burn 9 billion gallons of gas each year. Only one ethanol plant is under construction, yet Florida could get a full third of the motor fuel it needs from farmers.

“We can make up to 3 billion gallons of alternative fuels here in Florida through agricultural productions,” Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said.

But there are just 27 e-85 stations like this one in Florida. So as an oil slick inches its way to the coast, some like Bronson suggest we have only our own wasteful habits to blame.

This year legislation to boost spending on solar energy died in the legislative process.

Using satellite pictures and sophisticated computations, an FSU professor says the Gulf gusher has already exceeded the oil spewed from the Exxon Valdez. Dr. Ian MacDonald is part of a scientific team organized by the state university system to help manage the oil spill. MacDonald says resources are scarce so accurate information is important.

“The better idea we have about how much there is and how that is distributed, we’ll know where to deploy what are limited assets,” MacDonald said. “We don’t have enough boom to cover the whole Gulf. I mean, they talk about a million feet of boom, well that’s about 200 miles. So we’ve got 200 miles of boom barriers that we can put out and we’ve got a big, long coastline.”

The Valdez spilled an estimated 11 million gallons in Alaska. MacDonald says at best, those fighting the oil slick will be able to recover just 15 percent of the spill, leaving natural forces to dissipate the oil.

Communities on Florida’s Gulf Coast are organizing clean up efforts in preparation of oil reaching their beaches. While clean up crews wait and pray, fishermen are catching as much as they can. As Whitney Ray tells us, the uncertainty has thousands of them fearing for their future.

The harvest is on to boat as many oysters as possible in case oil floods the Apalachicola Bay smothering oyster beds. Shrimpers like Elmer Clark are in the same boat.

“We are doing everything we can to catch everything we can,” said Clark.

Oysterman Toby Dalton is taking a different approach. Instead of kicking his operation into overdrive, he’s helping emergency workers lay boom in the bay.

“I could have went out today and made 150 dollars but I’m giving that up, not worrying about that to try and get this diverted. I’ve bills to pay just like anybody else, but right now this is more important,” said Dalton.

The oil in the Gulf is still days away from Apalachicola, but it’s already hurting seafood distributors. Oyster harvesting has stopped in Louisiana, driving up the price.

“We not getting in what we need to be able to send them out, plus the price is up out there which makes it more here,” said Bobby Hill with Water Street Seafood.

It’s not just the seafood industry paying the price; people from all around the world are cancelling their Florida vacations which is costing rental companies, restaurants, and souvenir shops millions of dollars.

The question on everyone’s mind; how long until Florida’s tide stops bringing in fresh ocean water, and starts washing up oil?

Changing winds have now pushed the oil slick 60 miles from Escambia County’s coastline. If the weather holds the oil may not make landfall in Florida until next week.

More than 11 thousand people have logged on to the state’s tourism web site to check on the oil spill since this past weekend. Hundreds more are calling. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the state is in the unenviable position of telling people we don’t know yet.

In its first full day of operation, the Florida emergency Information hotline was fielding a call every three minutes.

“They’re concerned about their vacationing plans,” phone volunteer Holly Jane Aldrige said.

Since it became operational over the weekend, 11 thousand people have clicked on the state’s tourism website for news about the oil spill. So far the answer they have received is that Florida is open for business, but check back.

“We don’t know what the effects are going to be, so there are people who are concerned,” Will Setcombe with Visit Florida said. “Our goal is to try to make sure that they get answers from a trusted source, the official source of information for travel to the sunshine state.”

Last year 80 million people spent 60 billion dollars in Florida.

Visit Florida says that for every 85 people who don’t come to Florida, perhaps to buy gas, one job will be lost.

Fish and oysters in Florida waters have not been affected, yet.

“We are scared to death that the spill will come into the areas where we fish and besides that, come into the bays,” Bob Jones with Southeast Fisheries said. “If it comes into Apalachicola Bay, that’s the entire oyster industry.”

Some charters are reporting a 40 percent drop in bookings. For now, tourism and coastal-based business are holding their breath, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

Local officials are asking that a representative from FEMA, British Petroleum and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection be available in counties up and down the Gulf Coast.

Hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil gushing from a damaged well are headed toward Florida’s beaches and there’s nothing to stop it. Just 15 miles of protective boom has been placed in the water near sensitive areas, but there’s little faith the barrier will hold. As Whitney Ray tells us, the state was never prepared for a disaster of this magnitude… an oil disaster many say will be the worst in US history.

The future of Florida’s gulf coast is in Mother Nature’s hands. The state wasn’t prepared for an oil disaster as massive as the one wind and currents could wash ashore on Florida’s beaches.

Federal law requires oil companies to keep resources on hand to respond to a disaster. Governor Charlie Crist isn’t pleased with BP’s plan.

“I have a significant concern that the party that created the problem is now the party responsible for solving the problem. I get that. That’s why I’m here,” said Crist.

The state, in conjunction with BP, only has 15 miles of boom, enough protective barrier to keep oil from a tanker spill at bay, but not enough to stop the hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil headed towards Florida’s beaches

Florida’s Secretary of the Department Environmental Protection, Mike Sole, says the boom won’t hold long.

“They are not failsafe and in fact they are prone to failing. A one knot current can cause product to either go under a boom or over a boom, a little bit of chop will no longer allow that boom to be successful,” said Sole.

Monday Governor Charlie Crist extended the state of emergency declaration south to Sarasota County. The Emergency Operation Center is in a partial activation mode.

The state if focusing on clean up efforts that will be needed once the oil makes landfall, while BP and the feds look for ways to stop the leak. As of noon Monday the oil slick was just 50 miles from Pensacola. 200-thousands gallons of oil is pouring out of the hole each day.

BP is paying for Florida’s clean up efforts and the state’s Attorney General says litigation is likely to come to recoup some of the economical losses the state might suffer from the damage.

Right to File Suit

People living or working on the gulf coast need to be wary of scam artists promising in advance to clean oil off their property. Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum issued the warning this morning. He says property owners also need to be careful not to sign away their right to sue BP.

“Please do not sign waivers. If somebody approaches you and says ‘waive your claim, make us harmless, we’ll clean this up for you’ don’t do that. And also don’t buy into just anybody who says we’ll clean something up for you. They may be scamming you,” said McCollum.

McCollum says a lawsuit is likely to follow the disaster once damages are figured, but doesn’t want to focus on the litigation while Florida is in a state of emergency.

Eight law enforcement officers who lost their lives protecting Floridians were honored today at the state capitol.

Their families along with hundreds of officers from around the state stood in honor of the fallen today at the 28th annual Fallen Officers’ Memorial. The memorial ceremony is held every year to honor those killed during the previous year. Governor Charlie Crist spoke to the families of the officers killed on the job.

“It’s a privilege and an honor to be able to be here and I just want to express my great gratitude to not only those who serve in law enforcement but their families that give them the privilege and the opportunity to do so,” said Crist.

Families of the officers were given plaques with their family member’s badge and an American flag inside.

The eyes of the nation are once again on a Florida election. Governor Charlie Crist’s decision to run as an independent will focus almost as much attention on the November election as did the aftermath of the 2000 election. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, Republicans are wasting no time moving on.

An oil-painting of Charlie Crist has been removed from state Republican headquarters. The painting used to hang on the wall overlooking Marco Rubio’s bumper stickers.

Literature with Crist proclaiming to be a proud Republican has been put away.

The next stop for this GOP-owned oil-painting of the governor is eBay.

The GOP paid 75-hundred dollars for the painting and another of former party chairman Jim Greer.  The new chairman says it makes sense to try and recover some of the expense.

“I don’t need the picture and it was paid for by party money,” Chairman John Thrasher said. “He’s no longer a Republican, so it’s logical to me that we try to see if we can get some money for it.”

Reporter: how much do you think its worth?

Thrasher: “I don’t know. I wouldn’t speculate on that.”

Crist staff filed his loyalty oath listing him as an independent, and he wrote a 6900 dollar check to qualify.

Most of the staff resigned and calls to the campaign office went unanswered. Long time observers believe the Governor’s biggest problem besides raising money will be finding experienced staff.

“When I was trained, we organized down to the grassroots,” former state Senator Ken Plante said. “Today, the campaign managers count on the party to do that stuff and they just raise money and spend it.”

And at noon qualifying for Federal offices ended, beginning what will be the most watched campaign in the nation.

Crist’s appointee to the US Senate, George LeMieux and Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, both say they will support the Republican Nominee, not Crist.

Lights, Camera, Action was the message state lawmakers sent to the film industry today. Lawmakers approved more than two hundred million in tax credit incentives for film and digital media over the next five years. Dave Casera of Film Florida says the incentives will once again make Florida competitive.

“Ten years ago, we were ranked number three in the country,”  Casera said. “We disappeared, we went off of the charts and now we’re beginning to get calls from some major production companies, major folks from across the country who are saying we want to be in Florida and now we have a reason. So I think folks are seeing that. I can’t even tell you the impact that it’s going to have on hotels and stores like Wal-Mart and folks like Publix.”

Thousands of jobs have been lost in recent years because other states offered more attractive packages. A University of West Florida study show the state will receive a dollar-forty-four in tax revenue for ever dollar of incentives.

Governor Charlie Crist’s ten appointments to the Republican Party of Florida’s Executive Committee are in limbo, now that Crist has decided to run as an independent. Party Chairman John Thrasher says the matter is under discussion.

“I’ve got the staff looking at that,” Thrasher said. “I think, technically they’re still OK. He is the governor; he made the appointments when he was Republican. You know, I don’t what the rule on that is. We’ll look at it. I don’t want to be punitive to anybody. Certainly don’t want to do that. They’re all good people. As long as they’re still qualified and willing to serve, I certainly don’t have any problem with them serving.”

Crist has not actually left the Republican Party. He remains a registered republican voter but is running as an independent.

The legislature is poised to pass a 70 billion dollar state spending plan that protects state workers, creates jobs, and increases funding for higher education. But it’s not all good and, as Whitney Ray tells us, there’s no guarantee the governor will sign it.

To fill a three billion dollars budget deficit lawmakers were considering laying off state workers, axing a prenatal program, and eliminating state funds for libraries.

Bookworms convinced lawmakers to cough up 21 million dollars.

“In a tough year, to still come through for us libraries, we appreciate it,” said Paul Clark, a librarian who lobbied all session to restore funding.

State workers dodged layoffs and pay cuts.

“Our members would have been extremely upset if the three percent pay cut when through,” said Doug Martin, with AFSCME

And needy mothers will still get the free care and counseling they need to give birth to health babies. But saving workers, libraries, and babies comes at a price. Lawmaker are taking money from health care, child abuse programs and roads.

House Democrat Ron Saunders says the 160 million dollar raid on the transportation trust fund will slow job growth.

“We need to create jobs, not cause job loss,” said Saunders.

24 million dollars and thousands of inmates are being taken from state prisons and pumped into a private prison.

“This is an unnecessary facility. We are not at capacity,” said PBA Spokesman Matt Puckett.

And tuition is being raised and Bright Futures won’t cover the extra cost. Still college students, road workers, and correctional officers are holding out hope that the governor will hear their cries for a veto, some Democrats support the idea.

“If I think the budget can be made better, I want the governor to veto and let’s get back up here and do it right,” said Aronberg.

Crist could veto the whole budget or just line items. He’s vetoed at least parts of the budget every year since he became governor. If Governor Charlie Crist vetoes the budget, lawmakers would likely be back in Tallahassee in June, because the state constitution requires the legislature and the governor to agree on a spending plan before July first.

Legislation requiring women in their first trimester of a pregnancy to get an ultrasound before they have an abortion is headed to the governor’s desk. The measure was slipped into a nursing home bill just days ago and didn’t go through the normal legislative process. Stephanie Konkel, a spokeswoman for the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, was outraged at the public wasn’t given a chance to voice their concerns with the bill.

“The message that the Florida House and Senate has sent by passing HB 1143 is that women can not be trusted to make personal decisions about their own bodies,” said Konkel.

The legislation is now headed to the governor’s desk where, whatever decision he makes, will cost him voters in his independent bid for US Senate.

With the House spending more than two hours debating the abortion legislation, dozens of bills that passed the senate are being ignored. A bill that would lessen penalties for teens caught emailing or texting nude pictures of themselves or their peers, an offense known as sexting, is one of those bills. Bill Sponsor Dave Aronberg is upset that the House is delaying the measure.

“If they didn’t take up these controversial social issues on the last few days we could get through all these good bills, but instead they have to make political points by bring up abortion, meanwhile good bills are dying. This is an important issue,” said Aronberg.

If a teen is caught sexting now, he or she can be charged with a felony and be forced to register as a sex offender for their rest of their lives.

Governor Charlie Crist’s decision to seek a US Senate Seat as an Independent has been a long time coming. Mike Vasilinda traces his fall from grace with the GOP faithful back to the day he took office.

Since the moment he said “So help Me God” Charlie Crist began undoing much of what Jeb Bush had done the 8 years before. His first action was to issue an open-records decree. Then four months later, he undid a century-old ban on reformed felons voting.

Next he threw out the electronic voting machines in favor of paper. And when  long lines swelled in 2008 at early voting sites, Crist extended poll hours…A move the GOP believes helped Obama win Florida.

“He came to town as the anti-Jeb and he never stopped being the anti-Jeb,” Rep. Evan Jenne (D-Broward). ‘I think there was always within our chamber, I know our chamber especially, there was some anti-Charlie Crist sentiments since day one.”

Then came the man hug.

“I think the Obama hug really ignited a lot of people,” Van Poole, former GOP Chairman said.

In August last year, he made what many consider his most serious mistake. He appointed George LeMieux to the US Senate seat that he is seeking. He not only lost his closest advisor, but he lost the chance to reward longtime party loyalists.

On Thursday, bumper stickers touting his demise appeared on the Legislative floors of the State Capitol.

What the governor gives up is significant. There will be no polling, there will be no staff, there will be no mailings from the Republican party.

There’s also criticism for appointing liberal judges. And the most recent nails in the coffin, the vetoes of the legislative leadership funds and the teacher tenure bill.

State law does not require Crist to return campaign contributions, but he has returned some after being requested to do so.

There’s a fight in Tallahassee tonight to keep abortion legislation off the governor’s desk. The bill would make getting an abortion more expensive and require pregnant women in their first trimester to have an ultrasound before going through with the procedure. As Whitney Ray tells us, it may also force the hand of Governor Charlie Crist with a damned if you do damned don’t scenario.

Pro-Life Senators are pulling strings in a last ditch effort to curb the number of abortions in Florida.

Wednesday a health care bill was amended to require pregnant women seeking an abortion in their first trimester to pay for an ultrasound. They would then have the choice of viewing the image.

Senate Democrats railed against the amendment.

“I think this is being done to try and compel women to come to a judgment on a choice that should be a personal one,” said Senator Dan Gelber.

Thursday, House Democrats brought the chamber to a halt when they refused to allow leadership to waive rules to bring the senate bill to the floor.

“At this point it’s a standoff and we’ll wait and see what happens,” said Representative Jim Waldman.

Despite efforts to stop the legislation the plan is still alive. And if the bill ends up on the Governor’s desk, there are political implications. Whether he signs it or vetoes it, one thing is for sure; it will cost him votes.”

Bill Sponsor Andy Gardiner doesn’t know what Crist might do with the legislation.

“In the end it will be the governor’s decisions, but he’s made it very clear he is pro-life and I think these are pro-life issues,” said Senator Andy Gardiner.

There is also an amendment to the bill barring any insurance company that receives a state or federal tax credit from paying for an abortion.

Three southern states have adopted similar legislation. Twelve other states allow individual clinics to choose if a patient in her first trimester has to have an ultrasound. It’s already common practice for women further along in their pregnancies to have an ultrasound so abortion doctors have more information before they begin the procedure.