DATE: May 06, 2010 20:31:56 CST
***UPDATE***Incident command post activated for West Coast of Florida
ST. PETERSBURG , Fla. - In response to the possibility of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affecting the West Coast of Florida, representatives from BP, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), along with several federal, state and local agencies have officially established the incident command post.
The incident command post has been moved from its original location at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at 100 Eighth Avenue S.E. , in St. Petersburg .
The agencies are working together to plan a coordinated response effort and plan for the protection of shoreline and potential impacts should the spill affect the west coast of Florida. The agencies are also planning ways to identify the potential impact on wildlife and adverse economic impacts.
Representatives from BP are working on site at the incident command post and are engaged in the planning efforts.
“The oil remains many miles away from the Florida shoreline and there is no immediate impact area of concern near the west coast of Florida ,” said Keith Seilhan, St. Petersburg Incident Commander for BP. "We are working with the State of Florida , U.S. Coast Guard and other federal, state and local agencies to prepare, plan and take responsibility if anything should impact Florida ’s west coast."
