Brown: 'This is our island'

The town of Longboat Key is willing to do whatever is necessary to clean up any oil that may come ashore, even if it does not have permitted permission from state and federal authorities.

At its Thursday, June 17 regular workshop, the Longboat Key Town Commission unanimously gave Town Manager Bruce St. Denis permission to take whatever precautions are necessary and to move forward at a faster pace if the United Task Force —  the unified command emergency management officials use to protect the shores — fails to do so in a timely manner.

“If we reach a point where it looks like additional actions need to be taken, is it your expectation the town is ready to do that and take the risks associated with those actions?” asked St. Denis.

St. Denis noted the issues that counties in the Florida Panhandle are already having with the Unified Command’s oil-containment plan.

In Okaloosa County, for instance, the County Commission approved a motion June 14, giving its own emergency operations team the authority to protect its waterways, even if it means performing actions without waiting for state permits and approvals from federal authorities.

Other Florida municipalities agree that the permitting process allowing counties and municipalities to do more than what Unified Command is protecting is slowing communities down in their efforts to protect their shores and waterways.

The Longboat Key Town Commission overwhelmingly said the risks would be worth the reward.

“I don’t think we can do anything but,” said Vice Mayor Jim Brown. “This is our island and our life. We have to do everything we can to protect it.”

St. Denis brought officials from Manatee and Sarasota counties to the regular workshop, who all explained they were working together, while also working independently, if needed to perform tasks to protect what federal officials cannot.

The floating booms that are being placed offshore in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida to protect oil from coming into the bays are failing, and St. Denis said they will never work to stop tar balls or oil from entering Longboat Pass, which has currents that are too dynamic for the floating structures.

Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County’s director of conservation lands management, told the commission his county is also planning to do whatever it takes to protect its beaches and bays.

“If a federal response is not timely, we are prepared to go the distance,” Hunsicker said.

Key plan

The town of Longboat Key, however, does not plan to just work with both counties the island resides in to preserve its beaches and waterways.

Oil is not expected to come ashore in a sheen form, but tar balls could eventually make their way to the island. Current weather conditions and current patterns look favorably upon Southwest Florida.

St. Denis noted the commission approved town staff to work with debris management contractor Ash Britt, who is on standby to pick up the debris if oil or tar balls come ashore.

And the town’s beach engineer, Coastal Planning & Engineering (CP&E), which is already helping to deploy booms in Okaloosa County, has been authorized by the town to develop a local response plan that supplements the U.S. Coast Guard’s plans in the event beaches and waterways are impacted locally.

That plan involves taking action to protect all sides of Sister Keys and Jewfish Keys as well as its seagrass beds. The plan will also ensure all of Longboat Key’s shores and vegetation are protected if oil were to enter through the passes.

“This plan would not be enacted unless we feel efforts to clean oil or protect oil from getting into sensitive areas is not being done in a timely manner,” Florensa said.

HOW TO HELP

Floridians and visitors wanting to volunteer to become a coast watch volunteer can go to: www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org. In addition, volunteers helping with response efforts are not to engage in direct contact with oil and oil-contaminated products such as tar balls, tar patty, tar mats and oil sheen. Only qualified community responders should handle oil products and oil-contaminated materials.

STAY CONNECTED

If residents or visitors see tar or oiled debris on the beach or coastline, do not pick it up. Report it to the Florida State Warning Point Line at 877-272-8335 or #DEP from most cell phones. You may also call Sarasota County at 361-5000 or Manatee County at 748-4501 to report oil sightings.

For general health information questions regarding the oil spill and exposure to oil-spill products, contact the Florida Poison Information Centers at 800-222-1222.

Visit the town of Longboat Key’s website at www.longboatkey.org for links to additional resources and up-to-date information regarding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.