Five Minutes of Fame Fridays at DockHoppers this week was another night of fun, this time with PC Belly Dancers Brittany Millard, Carrie Green, Kira Burdeshaw entertaining the crowd through the evening.
Friday, August 20, 2010, the crowd was treated to Panama City Belly Dance, with dancers Brittany Millard, Carrie Green, Kira Burdeshaw; putting on a couple of great performances and mingling with all the happy folks around the pool deck. During breaks of the always fantastic beach music of the Acoustix, guests had photo opportunities with the trio of dancers and brief lessons in the fine art of the belly dance. With the great food and drink, great music, and great entertainment, alot of smiling faces transitioned from the work week into the weekend last week at DockHoppers.
Panama City Belly Dance host open-to-the-public classes each Thursday 6:30-7:30pm Classes are held at CityArts Cooperative, located at 318 Luverne Avenue, downtown Panama City. $7 adults, $5 children Classes are always open, you do not need to pre-register to come.
Thursday, July 15th, British Petroleum successfully placed a cap over the gushing, undersea well and stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Communities all over the Gulf Coast heaved a collective sigh of relief at this finally hopeful advance in tempering the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Officials such as President Obama urge, however, that is not yet a permanent solution. Much more testing is needed to know if the well is strong enough to sustain the pressure of the oil while capped. Also, the current cap is only temporary; to test the well and allow for more progress on relief wells being drilled in the area. An article at CNN.com states "BP cautioned that the oil cutoff, while welcomed, isn't likely to go beyond the 48 hours."
A Friday night of fun on Independence Day weekend 2010 in Panama City Beach, Florida.
On this the eve of Independence Day, we will leave it to others to tell you how beautiful our beaches remain. We decided to jump into some landlubber's fun. We started Friday evening at Dockhockers Pool Deck and Tiki Bar (as usual), where the tranquility of Friday happy hour on the lagoon is quintessential. There for our weekly Five Minutes of Fame Fridays.. We cut our Dockhopper's hop a bit short this week, however, to keep our date with the Rock and Roll Trolly. We rightly thought it would be fun to catch a glimpse of the passengers' party as they moved from fun location to fun location in Panama City Beach.
After rocking out to the great karaoke songs available on the Rock and Roll Trolly, we were drawn, as we approached Pier Park, by the Rastafarian rhythms of the de Lions of Jah at Reggae J's . . . and just couldn't resist getting off to partake.
As you round the last rung of stairs to the Reggae Roof, the Rastafarian rhythm syncs you in motion with those already present and possessed. With a view of 98 and the Pier as a backdrop, de Lions of Jah kept us dancing for quite some time.
From there, a quick drop-in to Margaritaville and Tootsies, both slammed with partying vacationers, and a final stop for nourishment at Buffalo Wild Wings, before back on the Trolly.
There is definitely fun to be had at Panama City Beach this July 4th weekend.
(We use indie music in our videos. If you like the music, hear more.)
Hands Across the Sands had three hand joining ceremonies in Bay County, Florida, on June 26, 2010. Spinnaker, Pier Park, and Laguna Beach. Here is a video of the Spinnaker ceremony.
Hands Across the Sands had three hand joining ceremonies in Bay County, Florida, on June 26, 2010. Spinnaker, Pier Park, and Laguna Beach. Here is a video of the Spinnaker ceremony. We hope to have the Pier Park video up sometime tomorrow.
Hands Across the Sands will hold it second peaceful demonstration in opposition to drilling in the Gulf this Saturday, June 26, 2010, at three locations in Panama City Beach: Spinnakers, across from Pier Park, and at Laguna Beach.
Hands Across the Sands will hold it second peaceful demonstration in opposition to drilling in the Gulf this Saturday, June 26, 2010, at three locations in Panama City Beach: Spinnakers, across from Pier Park, and at Laguna Beach.
Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, fishing industry and coastal military missions.
The first event took place at several locations across Florida in February. Saturday's event has become international with 701 locations around the world, in over twenty-one countries, participating. The event has received national and international news coverage.
Hands Across the Sands was started by a PCB neighbor, Dave Rauschkolb, owner of Bud and Alleys at Seaside, last fall. Here is a video of his (now prophetic) explanation of the origins of the movement, taken after the February event. Now with the Deepwater Horizon incident still out of control, the movement has gained much momentum and a very large turnout is expected Saturday.
A few weeks ago, the TDC solicited ideas for a summer-long agenda of fun events for Panama City Beach. These events are to attract tourists throughout the summer, despite the uncertain condition of the beaches. We did not respond directly, but it got us thinking.
A few weeks ago, the TDC solicited ideas for a summer-long agenda of fun events for Panama City Beach. These events are to attract tourists throughout the summer, despite the uncertain condition of the beaches. We did not respond directly, but it got us thinking. Our thoughts turned, however, to a more permanent solution. While this summer’s agenda seems to be mostly set now and sounds promising, here’s an open letter to the TDC on our thoughts for a more permanent approach.
It is not necessary to believe that our beaches will be permanently scarred to consider this approach. Even if we, hopefully, escape any permanent damage; we will have felt the fear of that possibility. Having that status puts us in a position to capture the world’s attention. With the world’s attention, we can define ourselves as a place to come, gather, meet, relax, and explore clean energy.
Our suggestion is that we acquire a large tract; plan, design, and seek funding for the world’s largest expo of clean energy concepts. We would build structures that epitomize the most promising means of generating clean energy. Conference centers powered by wind turbines on the roof could house large conventions of clean energy scientists and planners. Solar powered lecture halls could be home to instruction for business planners on the clean energy concepts that could provide great savings for their clients. Electric shuttles could move the participants back and forth from our hotels and restaurants and the expo center.
In addition to the Clean Energy Expo and Conference Center, we should seek windmills to be placed off our coast. Our boat captains would have work in their installation and maintenance and in taking visiting engineers, planners, as well as just the curious out for tours of the wind generating power arrays.
In addition, we should provide tax incentives and subsidies to attract clean energy development companies to our shores. With the Clean Energy Expo and Conference Center in the works, what better location for many of these new companies that will soon be expanding.
Finally, we should guide and encourage all our businesses to seek grants and assistance to employ clean energy solutions. Let our warm sun and abundant breezes power our hotels and restaurants. Have exercise bikes or treadmills in each room as an alternate means to provide the power for the lights, television, and computers while keeping the visitors fit. Efficiently move our visitors from attraction to attraction with the most clean and economical means of public transportation, allowing them to relax without the responsibility of driving.
In short, Panama City Beach should set its goal to become the Clean Energy Capital of the World.
This works in the best case scenario of our beaches remaining pristine, healthy, and beautiful. This works in the worst case scenario of our beaches becoming an unattractive dead zone. If our beaches remain beautiful, they will be an added bonus to traveling here – and a reminder of what we can easily lose if we do not make clean energy work. If our beaches become a dead zone of unattractive toxic water and ugly sand, what better place to be to study and explore clean energy than the place where the ugliness of the alternative is so apparent. Our docks, boats, and captains could have work taking the visiting scientists and engineers out to study the manifestation of this horror.
If Panama City Beach were the first of the Gulf Coast communities to make this commitment, we could ensure ourselves a permanent place in the mind of the world. “That coastal community that . . . lost so much/feared losing so much . . . that unlikely conservative southern town . . . that became the World Capital of Clean Energy.”
The new $20 Billion dollar compensation fund, to be independently administered, will reduce many of the concerns we expressed regarding the claims process in earlier articles. Our earlier concerns about the ‘gaming’ to be expected from BP in the claims process are now eliminated. This is good news for claimants.
Although a lawyer has contributed to the preparation of this article, this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. This article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. Competent legal advice depends upon the particular facts and circumstances of your situation. Legal strategies and outcomes are always dependent upon particular facts and circumstances, which vary from person to person or business to business. Thus, only a competent lawyer advised of your particular facts and circumstances can adequately advise you.
The new $20 Billion dollar compensation fund, to be independently administered, will reduce many of the concerns we expressed regarding the claims process in earlier articles. Our earlier concerns about the ‘gaming’ to be expected from BP in the claims process are now eliminated. This is good news for claimants.
Five Billion Dollars a year, for four years, will be placed by BP into an escrow account to be administered by Kenneth Feinberg. These payments will be secured by BP assets in the United States. Those suffering economic losses from the oil spill will now file their claims, not with BP, but with Feinberg. Feinberg will make an initial determination of each claim. If the claimant is not satisfied with his decision, it can be appealed to a three judge panel. This process, including the three judge panel review, is supposed to take no more than 90 days. If the claimant is not satisfied with the three judge panel’s decision, the claim can be filed in court.
Unlike the court system, you do not just have one shot at collecting your damages. You can file repeated claims if your damages are continuing. Each claim will pay to a certain point in time and the next claim will pick up from there.
We have to wait for the details of what claims will be paid and the criteria that will be used to evaluate them. Feinberg should be publishing those details soon.
If you do not like the outcome of your claim determination, the option to file your claim in court remains. As we stated earlier, in broad general terms, under Florida common law and statutory law, someone is liable for damages when they are negligent. ‘Negligence' is the failure to use reasonable care under the circumstances. There is an abundance of evidence suggesting that BP and the other companies involved were not only negligent but reckless in allowing this spill to occur . . . and in the way they have handled it since. Thus, those who have suffered injury or losses in Florida due to the BP oil spill can sue in court under state law for damages. Even though Florida law may be involved in the case, the case will likely be removed to Federal Court due to procedural laws. In theory, such a suit would be similar to suing someone who negligently caused an explosion next door that burned down your house. Your damages would not be artificially limited. In reality, for the BP oil spill, there will be so many of these cases, however, they will eventually become consolidated into large class actions and those large cases will likely fall under the Multi-District Litigation procedures. Under these procedures, certain lawyers are designated as lead lawyers and they try the common aspects of the cases in one trial. Then, individual claimants, if not covered under one of the class action damage determinations, have separate trials to prove their damages.
As for Federal law, it remains to be seen how the new compensation fund administration will interact with the Oil Spill Liability Trust Funds. The Federal law applicable here is the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), 33 U.S.C. 2702 et seq., which was passed in 1990 in response to the Exxon Valdez incident. The OPA, among other things, created the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF). The OPA, in addition to creating claims for governments and trustees involved in the cleanup, allows individuals and businesses to make claims against the OSLTF for property damage and lost profits due to the oil spill. The ‘limitation of damages' you may have heard about, however, comes from the OPA, which presently limits total cleanup costs for a single incident to $1 billion, and limits total claims for indirect costs such as lost wages and tourism to $75 million. The OPA does not cover claims for personal injury (i.e. physical harm from exposure to toxins). You cannot file a claim with the OSLTF if you have already received compensation from the ‘responsible party' (i.e. directly from BP or the new compensation fund).
It is not yet clear whether the new compensation escrow fund replaces the OSLTF or supplements it. It is clear, though, that somewhat different procedures will apply to claims under the new fund than apply under the OPA – and there is much more in this fund than would be in the OSLTF.
Bottom line for now is this. It now makes sense for you to first file your claim with the new compensation fund. It is still a good idea to consult with an attorney first to best prepare your claim, but not nearly as important as before when claims were filed directly with BP. If your claim is initially denied or you are not satisfied with the outcome, then it becomes a very good idea to consult with competent local counsel on how best to prepare for the three judge panel review and possible legal action after that.
Again, we do not yet know what types of claims will be considered in this process. If it turns out you have suffered losses that this fund will not cover, then you have no alternative but to seek counsel to consider a court action. We suspect that many types of indirect losses will be recoverable in court that will not be included in this claims process.
We also do not yet know what will happen to the pending claims already filed with BP, but not yet paid. We suspect they will be transferred over to the new compensation fund. If you have a pending claim, you should be receiving some sort of notice on this soon, we would think.
All in all, this new compensation fund is good news for claimants. There has been no trade-off with BP. The damages they ultimately have to pay are not limited by this agreement. Substantially more than the $75 million under the OPA is now available. When the details are published, there will likely be limitations on the fees that attorneys can charge for assistance in the claims process. Costs will be reduced for the claimants, the courts, and even BP. In this case, neither I nor the attorneys I know are complaining. These are extraordinary times where profits should take a back seat to the survival of the community.
Hopefully details of the new claims procedures will be published very soon. If you have suffered losses, watch for those details (we will be publishing them here as they become available) and carefully prepare your claims. In the meantime keep good records and preserve the records that you have.
President Obama announced that BP has agreed to put $20 Billion in a compensation fund to be independently administered.
President Obama announced in a news conference shortly after 1:00 pm central time today that he has met with BP and they have agreed to put Twenty Billion Dollars ($20 Billion) in an independent compensation oil spill claims fund to be overseen by Kenneth Feinberg (who oversaw the 911 victims fund). Importantly, the president stated that the fund will not be a cap for damages for BP and it will not pre-empt private oil spill damage lawsuits.
Claims against the fund will be administered independently, not by BP or the Federal Government. There should be no incentive to delay payment.
We will provide more detail on how this may impact your approach to your oil spill claims later today.
Widget provided by PBS NewsHour relays the live video provided by BP.
PBS NewsHour provides this widget showing live video feed of the oil leak originating from BP. Late Wednesday BP says what you see coming out is most likely just the fill mud. If this stops, we will know the spill has been contained, according to BP.
Update: 6/6/2010: We have moved the live video feed widget from our main blog to a separate page. We have done so for two reasons. One, the video feed captures resources and slows loading of our main pages. Two, it has become very depressing to watch as all efforts to contain the spill have had very little success and it is now just a matter of waiting a couple of months or more for the relief wells to be completed.
(PCBeNews does not necessarily endorse the default setting of the 'spill meter' included in this widget as many scientists claim the volume is much greater. Note that the widget does allow you to adjust the flow to a more realistic level, however.)
The best answers we can find to the question of 'Has the oil spill affected Panama City Beach" as of May 26, 2010.
As of May 26, 2010.
A review of the searches that bring people to our site reveals the following questions are by far the most common over the last few weeks.
Has the oil spill reached Panama City Beach?
When will the oil spill reach Panama City Beach?
These are understandable questions in light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and all of the accompanying media coverage. Many people either already have reservations for this summer in Panama City Beach or were planning to make reservations and are troubled by the oil spill and looking for information to help them decide what to do.
We want to not only answer your questions, but answer them as honestly and fully as we can.
As to the first question, 'Has the oil spill reached Panama City Beach?' . . . As of May 26, 2010, There is no oil on Panama City Beach. In fact, the beaches are as beautiful and enjoyable as ever. Here is the current projectory map.
As to the second question, 'When will the oil spill reach Panama City Beach?' . . . The truthful answer is that no one knows for sure. While it appears inevitable that Panama City Beach will ultimately have some significant effects from this oil spill, it is very difficult to predict when they will occur. Here is a trajectory that is a bit difficult to follow, but gives you some indication. the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trajectory Ensemble Forecast
Because of this uncertainty, many Panama City Beach resorts are offeringa Real Fun Guarantee.
SECOND ANNUAL LEUKEMIA CUP REGATTA RAISES OVER $55,000 - see video.
(We use indie music in our videos. If you like the music, hear more.)
A record 18 boats signed up for the second annual Leukemia Cup Regatta at Bay Point on Saturday, May 22nd. For the second straight year the charity event raised over $55,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Racing just offshore from Schooner’s, the windward leeward course was designed to gain maximum exposure for the participants and spectators. Featuring turn buoys to the north and south, viewers along the beach got a taste of the excitement as vessels passed close to shore.
Calm seas and light winds set the stage for a close contest on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Crews leapt to action at the start of the race as the boats jockeyed for position, each vying for the perfect line. Sailboats seesawed back and forth, seeking an elusive wind and a leg up on the competition.
In the end, John Guy aboard Hot Toddy took home top honors in the Spinnaker division, and Rives Allen won first place in the Non-Spinnaker division on board Zephyr.
Although the regatta awards prizes to the fastest boats, the ultimate prize is given to the team that raises the most money. Participants solicited donations from friends, family and local businesses in a fundraising competition to win the coveted Leukemia Cup. Event organizers also seek out corporate sponsors and those funds are added to the overall total. Top honors this year went to Fair Trades , a 50 foot Beneteau owned by Michael Plitman. "Michael’s team raised a combined total of over $22,000" said Steve Arndt, Marina Director at Bay Point Marina. "The crew of Fair Trades did a phenomenal job raising donations. $22,000 is a truly amazing amount."
Plitman, a Panama City resident, was also this year’s Regatta Chairman. He participated in the inaugural event in 2009, and jumped at the chance to chair this years Regatta. "We had a lot of fun with the event last year," said Plitman, "And I was both honored and excited when they asked me to be Chairman. Being able to bring the Leukemia Cup back to Panama City is a dream come true."
Last year’s winner was Larry Grill on board Anseo . Grill, a Birmingham, Alabama resident was on hand to defend his title this year, and congratulated Plitman after the event.
The Leukemia Cup Regatta is a series of events held throughout the country. Since its inception, the sailing community has raised millions of dollars to support the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through this event. In 2009, more than 8,400 sailors from around the country combined a passion for sailing with an equal passion to fight cancer, raising more than $3.8 million to help cure blood cancers.
The event was co-hosted by the St Andrews Bay Yacht Club and the Bay Point Yacht Club.
For more information contact Steve Arndt at Bay Point Marina at (850) 235-6911 or visit the web site www.lcrbp.com.
Best Answers as of 5/19/10 to tourists' questions: Has the oil spill effected Panama City Beach? When will the oil spill reach Panama City Beach?
A review of the searches that bring people to our site reveals the following questions are by far the most common over the last few weeks.
Has the oil spill reached Panama City Beach?
When will the oil spill reach Panama City Beach?
These are understandable questions in light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and all of the accompanying media coverage. Many people either already have reservations for this summer in Panama City Beach or were planning to make reservations and are troubled by the oil spill and looking for information to help them decide what to do.
We want to not only answer your questions, but answer them as honestly and fully as we can.
As to the first question, 'Has the oil spill reached Panama City Beach?' . . . As of May 19, 2010, There is no oil on Panama City Beach. In fact, the beaches are as beautiful and enjoyable as ever. Only three suspicious objects have been found on the beach and only one of them has yet to be ruled out as a tar bar (the first two were just chunks of pavement). The water quality and the air quality are fine as of this date. Fishing has not been restricted in the immediate Panama City Beach area and there have been some great catches of Mackerel and Red Snapper recently.
As to the second question, 'When will the oil spill reach Panama City Beach?' . . . The truthful answer is that no one knows for sure. The edges of the spill are still 85 miles southwest of Pensacola. The trend for the last several days seems to be that the spill is moving much more to the west and south than toward Panama City Beach. It was reported yesterday (May 18, 2010) that the spill is encountering the loop current, which will take much of it to the southeast and on around Florida. While it appears inevitable that Panama City Beach will ultimately have some significant effects from this oil spill, it is very difficult to predict when they will occur and no one to our knowledge is offering any predictions.
Because of this uncertainty, many Panama City Beach resorts are offering a Real Fun Guarantee.
If you need help deciding whether to come on down to Panama City Beach this summer, watch this video to see what you will be missing if you choose not to come.
PCBeNews and Dockhoppers are gonna give you Five Minutes . . .
Whether you . . . play an instrument, sing, rap, dance, belly dance, ballet dance, break dance, boogie dance, or just wiggle your ears rythmically . . .
Whether you are . . . a comedian, a magician, a mime, an impressionist, a storyteller, an impersonator, a juggler, a sword swallower, or just do stupid human tricks . . .
Whatever talent you have, come on out to Dockhoppers Waterfront Bar and Grill (3901 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach) on Fridays from 5:30 to 7:00 pm.
Bring Your Talent . . . We’ll get it on video and get you on Youtube . . . And have voting for the best talent each week on PCBeNews.com. With great prizes for the winners!
Come on out and let Dockhoppers and PCBeNEWS make you Famous!
This article is the second in a series of articles on oil spill claims for the Panama City Beach area written by one of our sponsors, George J. Little, Attorney to assist our readers in understanding this complex subject. The first article, Understanding Oil Spill Claims - The Fundamentals was published on 5/11/10.
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN SUPERCEDED. FOR THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION CLICK HERE
This article is the second in a series of articles on oil spill claims for the Panama City Beach area written by one of our sponsors, George J. Little, Attorney to assist our readers in understanding this complex subject. The first article, Understanding Oil Spill Claims - The Fundamentals was published on 5/11/10.
Although lawyers have contributed to the preparation of this article, this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. This article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. Competent legal advice depends upon the particular facts and circumstances of your situation. Legal strategies and outcomes are always dependent upon particular facts and circumstances, which vary from person to person or business to business. Thus, only a competent lawyer advised of your particular facts and circumstances can adequately advise you.
The tough initial decision facing most victims of the oil spill in the Panama City Beach area is how to proceed with their claims. There are strongly differing opinions being offered on this issue. This issue becomes especially timely for Bay County residents and businesses as BP has announced the opening of a claims office here next week. It may not be in your best interest to run down and make a claim until you fully understand all the ramifications.
You may be considering these choices: 1) You can file a claim directly with BP through its claims office; 2) in certain circumstances, you can file a claim with the Federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF); or 3) You can file a case in court. This article will try to explain the differences and ramifications of these choices.
Oil spill claims are covered by both Florida law and Federal law and can be affected by local legislation as well. The differences in the local, Florida and Federal laws explains in part why there is so much confusion regarding oil spill claims.
In broad general terms, under Florida common law and statutory law, someone is liable for damages when they are negligent. ‘Negligence' is the failure to use reasonable care under the circumstances. There is an abundance of evidence already suggesting that BP and the other companies were quite negligent in both allowing this spill to occur and in the way they have handled it since. Thus, one avenue available to those who have suffered injury or losses in Florida due to the BP oil spill is to sue in court under state law for damages. In theory, such a suit would be similar to suing someone who negligently caused an explosion next door that burned down your house. Your damages would not be artificially limited. In reality, for the BP oil spill, there will be so many of these cases, however, they will eventually become consolidated into large class actions or at least come under some sort of case management scenario that will make them unlike ordinary cases. Nevertheless, there are many advantages to be considered from proceeding in this fashion with your claim.
The Federal law applicable here is the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), 33 U.S.C. 2702 et seq., which was passed in 1990 in response to the Exxon Valdez incident. The OPA, among other things, created the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF). The OPA, in addition to creating claims for governments and trustees involved in the cleanup, allows individuals and businesses to make claims against the OSLTF for property damage and lost profits due to the oil spill. The ‘limitation of damages' you may have heard about, however, comes from the OPA, which presently limits total cleanup costs for a single incident to $1 billion, and limits total claims for indirect costs such as lost wages and tourism to $75 million. The OPA also does not cover claims for personal injury (i.e physical harm from exposure to toxins).
You cannot file a claim with the OSLTF if you have already received compensation from the ‘responsible party' (i.e. BP).
The $75 million dollar cap is entirely inadequate for a spill of this magnitude. There are efforts by some in Congress to increase the cap, but they have not yet been successful. There are probably 75 businesses in Panama City Beach alone who will experience over a million dollars of loss each before this catastrophe is over. The decision to use dispersants, and their anticipated effect on marine life, will impact the Gulf seafood industry for many, many years to come. Thus, the damage to the Florida seafood industry alone will be substantial and will last for several years. $75 million can not possible cover all the damages to the entire Gulf Coast from this spill. This limitation may be a good reason, depending upon your particular facts and circumstances, to consider filing your case in court under state law rather than making a claim against the OSLTF. On the other hand, if you do file a case in court, it may preclude payment to you from the OSLTF.
While it may seem quicker and more simple just to go to BP and take a quick settlement, consider the following before making that decision. There are several reports that fishermen in Lousianna are becoming quite frustrated. While BP is paying ‘good money' for clean up work, only a small portion of the fisherman who signed up are actually being put to work. Others, who filed claims with BP are becoming frustrated over the time it is now taking to process those claims. (Louisiana fishermen bitter over BP job handouts, BP admits misstep over oil spill claims waivers, Louisiana fishermen losing patience over spill.) Also, consider the reports that BP is trying to keep people from consulting with and hiring lawyers. Alabama lawyers representing fisherman who attended the meeting reported that during a May 12 Vessels of Opportunity meeting at the Friendship Baptist Church in Bon Secour, Alabama, BP officials warned fishermen that they would not address claims presented by individuals and businesses that retained an attorney. Reports throughout the Gulf coast, including the Florida panhandle, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, suggest BP is employing the same measures in an effort to intimidate fishermen from obtaining legal representation. Intimidation runs rampant in the BP claims process.
Why does BP not want people to have lawyers? You can bet they have hundreds of lawyers working for them. This is the company that required its own employees, traumatized by the explosion on the oil rig, to sign statements before they were even brought in from the Gulf! Despite its representatives' statements to Florida officials that BP is not seeking waivers, there is no good reason to discourage people from being fully advised before they sign something, unless there are problems with what they are being asked to sign.
The next most simple thing, it may seem, is to be to make a claim against the OSLTF. However, one of the requirements of making that claim is that you have already submitted your claim to the ‘responsible party'. That is, you can't make an OSLTF claim unless you have filed a claim with BP first.
Thus, the remaining avenue, while it may seem more complicated and you may be concerned that it will take longer, would be to engage an attorney and pursue your claim according to your attorney's advice. Your attorney will be able to explore and review all of the facts and circumstances of your particular case and help you decide the best course for you to take.
The advantage to BP in offering quick (seemingly large, but relatively small) claims payments is that victims of the oil spill have often lost their livelihood and need help now. Individuals and businesses suffering loss from the oil spill and its consequences should explore other avenues for that immediate help, however. The Small Business Administration has approved disaster loan funding for 35 Florida counties due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (SBA to Approve Oil Spill Loans in 35 Fla. Counties.) Other Federal, state, and local loans and aid will likely also become available as the effects of the spill become more pronounced.
It's a tough decision, but one in which patience, thoughtfulness, and advice may pay off.
This article is the second in a series of articles on oil spill claims for the Panama City Beach area written by one of our sponsors, George J. Little, Attorney to assist our readers in understanding this complex subject. Check back for further installments in this series.
The Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command, Joint Information Center, held a media advisory conference call May 12, 2010, on the subject of Dispersant use to contain the oil spill and PCBeNews listened in for you.
The Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command, Joint Information Center, held a media advisory conference call May 12, 2010, on the subject of Dispersant use to contain the oil spill and PCBeNews listened in for you.
Responding to reporters questions were EPA Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA, and Dave Westerholm, Director, NOAA Office of Response and Restoration.
Jackson began by explaining why the EPA and the Coast Guard had authorized the use of dispersants for the ‘extraordinary challenge’ of the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Spill. The two justifications given were that 1) the dispersants degrade more rapidly than the oil, and 2) dispersants reduce the amount of oil that reaches vulnerable shore areas. She clarified that the EPA has not authorized ‘full scale underwater usage’ at this time. There will be some subsurface use for testing purposes, though. She admitted that the effects of using subsurface dispersants were unknown, stating that the EPA reserved the right to halt subsurface use at any time.
Dr. Lubchenco then tried to reassure that satellites, planes, and boats were in place to monitor the effects, but admitting that ‘dispersant use is a tradeoff decision’. She then referred to the oil spill as ‘unprecedented and dynamic’.
Even as to surface treatment, it was admitted in response to a question from David Mattingly from CNN that the dispersant mixes vertically and horizontally quickly and the plume formed remains in the water column.
’We have had some logistical issues in getting data’ was the response to an L.A. Times reporter’s question as to how much dispersant had already been used.
Dave Westerholm, in response to a question from Reuters, stated that tests had not yet been completed to determine if the dead animals that had shown up were natural deaths or the result of the oil or the dispersants.
As to the effects on reefs, it was stated that there is ‘no direct way to know which ones and in what amounts’ have been affected. When asked about the toxicity of the dispersant, it was stated that it is less than 1/10 to 1/100 as toxic as the oil.
The dispersants being used are Corexit’s 9527A and 9500. The 9527A dispersant contains 2-Butoxyethanol. Corexit’s 9500 has removed the 2-Butoxyethanol. Some of the other ingredients are protected by patent and not revealed to the public. Jackson states that the EPA knows what those ingredients are, but cannot reveal them.
9527A was being used at first and then switched out to 9500. The relative amounts were guessed to be 50/50 each, but it was stated that figure could not be confirmed. The authorization for use of dispersants does not allow use of dispersant within 3 miles of shore, but the EPA assured it would likely not be used within 30 miles of shore. As to the amount that can be used, ‘we are in uncharted waters’ says the EPA.
When asked whether she would eat seafood now that came from the Gulf, Jackson stated that she did yesterday . . . and enjoyed it.
The hardest pressed questions were on whether BP has used the most effective and least toxic dispersants available. EPA says that it was entirely up to BP to pick from the EPA approved list of dispersants and that ‘there are many other considerations that are made between the suppliers and the responsible party’. Paul Quinlin of Greenwire has followed up on this issue in an excellent article in the New York Times, Less Toxic Dispersants Lose Out in BP Oil Spill Cleanup
We welcome comments from the chemists and biologists out there to help us explore the possible effects of these dispersants.
Report of conditions at Panama City Beach Florida for May 13, 2010.
Conditions look fine at Panama City Beach for the weekend starting May 14, 2010. NOAA's 72 hour oil spill projection map does not reach Florida, much less Panama City Beach. The Air Quality Report shows the air at PCB to be good - better than most locations from which visitors would be coming.
As you may have noticed, we are not optimistic about the long term effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on our area. But, the facts are that those effects are not here yet. Plus, while we do not necessarily agree with the decision to use dispersants (due to its long term effect on Marine life), that use will delay and perhaps even prevent oil washing ashore here.
So, for now come on down and enjoy Panama City Beach. (In fact, get here by happy hour Friday and join us at Dockhoppers for Five Minutes of Fame Fridays!
This Conditions Report will be a regular feature here at PCBeNews over the summer and we will put video of the beach up every few days so that you can see for yourself. Check back with us often.
Understanding Oil Spill Claims - The Fundamentals. The first is a series of articles by pcbenews.com on the subject of oil spill claims as they relate to the Panama City Beach area.
Although lawyers have contributed to the preparation of this article, this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. This article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. Competent legal advice depends upon the particular facts and circumstances of your situation. Legal strategies and outcomes are always dependent upon particular facts and circumstances, which vary from person to person or business to business. Thus, only a competent lawyer advised of your particular facts and circumstances can adequately advise you.
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN SUPERCEDED. FOR THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION CLICK HERE
There is, and will continue to be for some time, a tsunami of information slamming into Panama City Beach concerning the subject of oil spill claims. Lawyers from all over have descended upon the Gulf Coast to sign up clients to seek damages against the major companies involved in the oil spill (BP, Haliburton, Transocean, Cameron International, and perhaps others). There are already virtually uncountable news articles, blogs, public agency announcements, and advertisements on the subject. This article is the first in a series of articles to be published by pcbenews over the next several days, weeks, and months, which are intended to summarize, simplify, and help the residents and businesses of Panama City Beach understand the issues and the actions you may need to take.
In this first article, let’s get the fundamentals out of the way so that we may address the remaining issues in more detail in subsequent articles. The fundamentals are these:
Do not sign anything, including endorsement of checks, concerning your potential oil spill claims without first seeking competent legal advice.
Avoid making public statements, or signing documents, that could be used to limit your damages in any future claim.
Keep detailed and accurate records.
Shop smartly for legal advice and representation.
Let’s address the fundamentals in a bit more detail, one at a time.
Do Not Sign Away Your Rights
There was a CNN news story last night (Monday, May 10) reporting that the surviving workers on the exploding oil rig were pressured into signing statements even before they were brought in from the Gulf. This is a vivid (and troubling) example of how intent these big companies are upon obtaining statements and releases. The typical ploy is to offer small amounts at first in hopes of getting complete releases before victims are fully aware of the extent of their damages. Another example is the contracts offered to fisherman in Louisianna hired to help clean up the oil spill. These contracts contained a release of future damages. (Fortunately, in this case, they were taken to court and the court voided the releases.)
Everyone should be aware that you will not receive anything from any of these big companies without their seeking a complete release. The damages are not even known yet. The damages could be catastrophic before this is all over. Everyone should be extremely cautious concerning release of their claim to damages at this time, or anytime in the near future, for any amount that the companies will be willing to offer voluntarily. Note again, that even the endorsement of a check can constitute a release depending upon the wording. Thus, the best bet for now is to not accept any payment from the big companies involved at all, unless the transaction has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by a competent attorney representing your interests.
Avoid Making or Signing Statements That Could Limit Your Damages
Any statements that can be intrepreted (or twisted) to indicate that you have not been affected, or that the effect on you or your business has been limited, should be avoided. Any statements you may make might be used against you in court later in an attempt to limit your damages. Certainly do not sign anything that could be used in this manner.
But, the concern extends beyond just papers that you sign. Anything you say that is recorded or published in any way may be available to come back and haunt you. It is interesting to note that Facebook and Twitter are now carefully researched before trial in various types of lawsuits. Statements you make on Facebook, Twitter, other social networks, in blogs or email, or even in comments to blogs or on Facebook, can be preserved and might be brought up later to be used against you.
This issue becomes particularly troublesome when it comes to marketing your business. If you are a hotel on the beach, for example, right now you want to tell the world that everyting is just fine – there are no problems at all. There could be ramifications if you continue those statements and advertisements beyond the point where damages actually begin to occur, however. (You should even be aware of the potential of liability to your customers if you make representations that prove not to be accurate, your customers rely on those representations, and your customers have loss as a result of that reliance.) We, of course, understand that your current income is more important to you now than some uncertain prospect of a damage award years from now when all the litigation finally settles (and the larger class action cases may well take years). We simply suggest that you be mindful of what you say and how you say it, in light of how it may be used against you later.
Keep Detailed and Accurate Records
There are numerous ways you can be negativley impacted by the oil spill; ranging from loss of property, damage to property, reduction of property value, loss of business, cancellations, loss of use of natural resources, reduction of available supplies . . . all the way to physical harm from exposure to toxins in the water, in the air, or in food supplies . . . among many other possible negative impacts. Detailed proof of these damages, especially in light of the many other competing claims that will be out there, will require detailed and accurate records.
If you are a motel, condo, charter boat, or other business that books customers in advance, record all cancellations immediately when they are made. All businesses have hopefully kept accurate past records of business volume that can be compared to your volume of business now and as evidence of the oil spill begins to show up in Panama City Beach. Any extra advertising expense, due to reduction of business as a result of fear of the oil spill, should be recorded as such..
While the possible ways that you could be damaged by the oil spill are too numerous to address here specifically, in general the point is to be mindful each time you have reduced revenue or incur an expense, especially an unusual expense, as to how it may relate to the oil spill . . . and keep contemporaneous accurate records.
Shop Smartly for Legal Advice and Representation
There are many national law firms here competing for your claims already . . . and there will be more as damages from the spill move into this area. The terms of their contracts can vary, some taking a larger percentage of your recovery as fees than others, some being better situated to represent you than others. The best approach is to start with an experienced and competent local lawyer who can then help you chose from among the larger firms. While individual claimaints will have no bargaining power with the big law firms over the percentage of fees, experienced local lawyers can often negotiate those fees for their clients. Experienced and competent local lawyers are better able to evaluate the bigger firms and their ability to meet individual claimant’s needs. While local lawyers may lack the expertise and the resources for years of battle with these big companies, they can give you personalized advice and assistance in choosing a specialized law firm and joining the larger claim pools, as well as help you with your first party insurance claims (often not of interest to the bigger firms). Local lawyers can meet with you face to face, paying more attentention to your particular facts and circumstances. Engaging a local lawyer first should not increase your ultimate fees. First party insurance claims allow for recovery of fees if the local lawyer has to take them to court. As for the other claims, the larger firms will usually ‘share’ a portion of their fee to cover the referring local lawyer, without increasing fees to the client. Many local lawyers will provide free initial consultations concerning oil spill damages to discuss all of these matters..
There are many facets of the subject of oil spill claims. This article has just touched upon the immediate fundamentals. We will continue to publish articles on this subject, exploring in some detail such aspects as the legal theories that will be used in these cases, class action lawsuits, the effect of possible bankruptcy filings, and many other facets of the oil spill claims. Check back with pcbenews.com often for thorough coverage of this subject.
Mother Mother Ocean - The Gulf of Mexico -The Magic of Panama City Beach - will the oil spill end the magic?
You know, as the dry white sand rolls upward between your toes as you crest the dunes. You know, as the salt spray gently brushes your face. You know, as the wetter sands begin to mush-up between your toes as you approach the water's edge. You know, as the reliable sound of rolling waves resonates into your ears, resetting you with its rhythm. You know, as you observe the white wings of sea birds battling with the winds and hear the cacophony of their calls. You know, as you watch little bird footprints made in the sand, wiped away by the waves, then made again. You know, as the glistening path across the wave tops, made by the setting sun, invites you to somehow follow it into some wondrous new dimension. You know.
You know, as you experience these things and more, that Panama City Beach is a magical place. It is magical to those who travel from far reaches to vacation here occasionally. It is magical to those from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina who visit here often. It is magical to the Canadians who take warm respite here in the winter. It is magical to hordes of college students from across the United States and the world who have their rights of passage here. It is magical even to those who live just a few miles inland and visit constantly. It is even magical to those who live and work here everyday.
There is a theory in anthropology that modern humans' migration into the Americas was entirely along coastal regions. Indeed, some of the earliest evidence of human mark on the New World consists of remains of ancient coastal oyster 'bars', where stacks of opened oyster shells and other evidence of a good time for all have been unearthed. Most everyone acknowledges a strong primeval sense of connection to the coastal environment.
Panama City Beach, a pristine example of the coastal experience, is a place that relaxes. It is a place where families connect, where lovers find love, where the salt spray and the warm salt waters refresh, rejuvenate, and restore tired minds and bodies. It is a place where people relax, feast on seafood, enjoy music, party, stay up late, romance, play, exercise, compete, or even meditate as their needs may be at the time. It is a place where inhibitions are loosened, emotions explored, and feelings often healed. The motherly bosom of the Gulf of Mexico draws us comfortably into these experiences that are often neglected elsewhere. Panama City Beach is truly magical to both its visitors and its residents.
The question arises now, however, sadly, of whether the magic can last.
Deepwater Horizon, an ultra-deepwater offshore drilling rig, owned by Transocean and under lease to BP, which had drilled the deepest underwater oil well in history, had an explosion on April 20, 2010, burned and then sank into the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, 2010. The broken riser created at least three leaks. As a result, huge quantities of oil are being released in the Gulf of Mexico. As of the date of this writing, no efforts to contain the spill have been successful.
We cannot begin to estimate the ultimate effect of this disaster until the spill is successfully contained. Each day it continues to leak, the worries increase along with the speculations. Due to the lack of a starting point for damage estimation, the issue manifests as much as a battle of opinions as it does an assessment of the facts. Many of us, long in the habit of siding on issues in tune with our cultural and political alignments, have come up with amazingly different predictions . . . ranging from 'everything will be fine in just a few weeks' to 'the extinction of marine life as we know it in the Gulf of Mexico with all the resulting consequences'.
Reactions and conflicts in our local community have been at times surreal. At a community meeting on May 7, as lawyers from Louisiana foretold of extreme environmental and economic consequences, they were strongly challenged by a local fisherman. The lawyers were accused of being part of the reason for the anticipated economic harm, because they were spreading fear of toxins. The fisherman's description of the majority of the Gulf remaining open and good for fishing was in stark contrast to the lawyers' description of the toxins rapidly spreading through the Gulf.
Another popular local Internet news site first addressed the spill with a bleak outlook and an emotional response. The same site just a few days later, softened its prognosis and has focused on optimism since.
Some local business people have wondered aloud if the oil rig was not somehow sabotaged by terrorists of some sort. Others scream for the executives of BP and Haliburton (the already infamous company that provided the cement encasements for the well-bore, which appear to have failed along with other equipment on the rig) to be jailed for reckless disregard of human safety.
All of this confusion and conflict is certainly understandable. There is really no hard evidence yet for us to know where we stand. We want to think its going to be alright . . . that it will be contained and then the oil removed from the Gulf in short order. But with each passing day the evidence more and more suggests the opposite could be the case.
In the meantime, this has all created a public relations nightmare for local businesses. The beach right now is as beautiful and apparently safe as it was last summer. There is no official or supported reason to believe that any seafood prepared and served here now is in any way unsafe. At least one local business, the Chateau Motel, has offered an 'Oil Free Guarantee', which provides for a refund if the beaches are closed during a guest's stay and provides for short cancellation option if the beaches are adversely affected by the oil spill, but not closed.
In a way, the current situation, if accurately and correctly understood by all, should promote a rush of current business to the beach. 'Fear of loss' is a huge marketing motivator. To some extent, everyone who enjoys Panama City Beach may now be in fear of it losing some of its magic in the future. There should be a strong desire to come now, while everything is still fine.
PCBeNews is going to the beach this afternoon. And, along with others at Spinnakers today, we are taking flowers to our Mother Ocean on Mother's Day. We will enjoy the magic today.
Then, early next week, we will post another article on preparations that can be made as the spill approaches. The way we have to approach it . . . the only way we can approach it . . . is to hope for the best, yet prepare for the worst. Today we go to experience and celebrate our Magical Mother Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico.
Review of Tim Burton's latest film, Alice in Wonderland.
by Scott Roberts
What can one say about Tim Burton's latest eccentric interpretation? Pegged as perhaps one of the most anticipated films of the year, I anxiously purchased my ticket and entered the theater. Having been overwhelmed by Tim Burton's recreation of the infamous Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which I think we all can agree was no easy feat, I went into this film feasting on the possibilities. Enough time had passed since his slaughter of Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I had learned to forgive him.
Through the exposition, I noticed the first major problem with the film. It was not Alice in Wonderland. Arguably, Alice in Wonderland is more widely known than Alice Through the Looking Glass, but, still an annoyance nonetheless. As the storyline developed, it was clear that this movie is all effects and visual imagery with little actual substance to back it up. Helena Bonham Carter's prepetual one-liner carried little potency, and Ann Hathaway's interpretation of the White Queen was sadly lacking. The biggest disappointment of the film was Johnny Depp's rather lackluster portrayal of the Mad Hatter. With so many great characterizations under his belt, Depp's performance of the Mad Hatter left much to be desired. His on-screen energy seemed as though his heart was simply not in it. Overall, the effects were good, but, the film offered little else. While I can see how the idea seemed brilliant on paper, the end result was ineffective.
However, if there is a silver lining with this film, I maintain my appreciation for Burton's unstated mission to keep classic stories alive and breathing. Therefore, I am not ready to give up on him just yet, I just found this film to be an all around disappointment.
We invite you to write an article on something of interest to the PCB Community and, as space allows, we will try to publish it for you.
There are lots of opportunities to express yourself these days. From Twitter and Facebook and free blogs you can easily maintain to just commenting on other’s blogs and entries, you can have your say. For locals and all others interested in the Panama City Beach, Florida, community; we want to give you yet another way to express yourself. We invite you to write an article on something of interest to the PCB Community and, as space allows, we will try to publish it for you.
For local individuals, you can tell us about your favorite activities or events. Provide decorating, gardening, or landscaping tips for the area. You can tell about causes and organizations you support. You can share the great fishing spots (well, we can hope). You can give your take on community issues and help us anticipate future issues of importance to the area.
For out-of-towners and part-time residents, you can tell us about your adventures in the PCB area. You can share war stories about traveling back and forth. You can vividly describe your best memories of the beach.
For local businesses, you can spread the word about your products, services, and promotional events.
If it’s informative, fun, a good read, and you can dance to it, we just might publish it.
We must, of course, have some guidelines, which we won’t bore you with in detail here. (You know the drill – no offensive stuff, nothing that will get us sued for publishing it, etc.) And, depending on the amount of submissions that come our way, we may not have time to get to all of them. While we invite businesses to submit informative articles, we will cull out blatant, non-informative advertising (but, we’ll be happy to post that if you pay us!).
The founders of PCBeNews are students of networking and network science. We are fascinated by the various ways information gets exchanged and people and places and events get connected. Our site has taken an “aggregation” approach. Instead of running out and trying to duplicate the news gathering efforts of the local media, we just aggregate and organize their RSS feeds in one handy location for you. Likewise, instead of trying to write about everything interesting in the area ourselves, we invite you to help us. We are happy to be a vehicle for you to spread information that interests you. Articles you post here can then be linked to your Facebook page – a way to beat the size limit of Facebook posts and reach a wider audience at the same time!. We all gain from sharing information.
Here’s how to do it . . . write an article of anything of interest to you that may also be of interest to the PCB community. Then, just go to our ‘contact us’ page and paste in the article. If it doesn’t all fit, we’ll see and will email you for the rest. Be sure to provide your correct email so we can get in touch with you. (We won’t add your email to any list or anything bad like that.) Then, just wait for us to get around to publishing it. We may take the liberty of running a spell check and maybe correcting some of your grammar or maybe even shortening the whole thing up a bit (but we promise not to intentionally eviscerate the character of your masterpiece).
Finally, if there is anyone out there with good writing skills and time to make regular submissions, just let us know and we’ll consider adding you to the team.
Our mission at PCBeNEWS is to inform and promote the Panama City Beach community. Making it a true community effort will make it better for us all.
PCBeNews and Dockhoppers are gonna give you Five Minutes . . . Whatever talent you have, come on out to Dockhoppers Waterfront Bar and Grill (3901 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach) on Fridays from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Starting Friday May 7, 2010.
Wanna be a Big Star?
Just waiting to be famous? Wait no more!
PCBeNews and Dockhoppers are gonna give you Five Minutes . . .
Whether you . . . play an instrument, sing, rap, dance, belly dance, ballet dance, break dance, boogie dance, or just wiggle your ears rythmically . . .
Whether you are . . . a comedian, a magician, a mime, an impressionist, a storyteller, an impersonator, a juggler, a sword swallower, or just do stupid human tricks . . .
Whatever talent you have, come on out to Dockhoppers Waterfront Bar and Grill (3901 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach) on Fridays from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Starting Friday May 7, 2010.
With Kelley as MC
Bring Your Talent . . . We’ll get it on video and get you on Youtube . . . And have voting for the best talent each week on PCBeNews.com. With great prizes for the winners!
Come on out and let Dockhoppers and PCBeNEWS make you Famous!
Fridays from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Dockhoppers. Starting Friday May 7, 2010.
With all the hoopla, it's hard to find information. We thought it might be helpful to just post a concise outline of what's in the new health bill so you can figure out how it effects you.
With all the hoopla, it's hard to find information. We thought it might be helpful to just post a concise outline of what's in the new health bill so you can figure out how it effects you. Here it is:
Immediate Effect:
No more annual or lifetime caps on benefits.
Temporary coverage to uninsured who have pre-existing conditions. To tie them over until 2014 when the health care exchanges will take effect ($5 billion set aside for this).
Children can be covered on parent’s policies up to age 26(even if non-dependent).
Those who fall into the doughnut hole (Medicare Part D drug benefit coverage gap) will receive $250 to help with prescriptions (The doughnut hole is slowly closed over the years by other provisions of the act).
Provisions that take effect in 2014:
Health Insurance Exchanges come into effect. Small businesses, the self-employed and the unemployed can pool together into ‘groups’ and buy less expensive health insurance. Members of these exchanges cannot be denied coverage or charged more due to pre-existing conditions.
Individuals who do not obtain health insurance and who make more than $88k (or 4% of the poverty level) (for a family of 4) will be subject to a fine of $95 or 1% of income, whichever is greater. In 2015, the fine becomes $325 or 2% of income. In 2016, it will rise to $695 or 2.5% of income. People who make less than $88k will have subsidies to help pay insurance premiums.
Childless adults living near poverty can qualify for Medicare.
Tax credits (varying with income levels) will be provided to offset the cost of health insurance premiums.
Use this link to review the text of the actual bills.
Welcome Spring Breakers, to The World's Most Beautiful Beaches! Despite what you may have heard we locals are happy to have you here and want you to enjoy your visit, while still being able to return home intact when your vacation is complete.
After living in this area for most of
my life and hearing the same crazystories over and over again I have decided to compile a helpful list of safety tips for your convenience.
Welcome Spring Breakers, to The World's Most Beautiful Beaches! Despite what you may have heard we locals are happy to have you here and want you to enjoy your visit, while still being able to return home intact when your vacation is complete.
After living in this area for most of my life and hearing the same crazy stories over and over again I have decided to compile a helpful list of safety tips for your convenience.
1. Spring Breakers, please, do not lean on the railings of your hotel balconies. We locals never cease to be amazed at the rate of injuries and deaths that occur from falling off of hotel balconies. Take care when you are up there so you can enjoy the rest of your trip and we will have a better overall impression of your ability to make sound judgments about height and gravity.
2. Buy your condoms at the same time that you buy your booze. Our local news channel ran a story detailing the shortage of 'Plan B' or 'Morning After' pills in pharmacies along the Beach this week. You will save time, money and worry if you have your protection in advance and do not get caught at the pharmacy when supplies run out and 'Plan B' backfires. I'm not advocating any type of activity, my advice is simply to prepare for the statistical possibility that you may engage in risky behaviors with lifelong consequences. We know you're having a good time and want to show your appreciation by sending future generations to our lovely town, but don't worry about paying us back quite so soon.
3. Wear sunscreen. There is an extremely good chance that you will fall asleep while sunbathing. For this reason, you need sunscreen. There is nothing enjoyable about spending your entire vacation with a severe sunburn. It makes dancing at the club painful, it causes you to dehydrate faster, it makes you look funny, it hurts, the excessive use of lotion/aloe that results causes your clothes to become sticky and uncomfortable, it makes the ocean breeze feel colder and can cause chills and fever. When you return to your hometown you will shed most of your skin for many days. Gross. That said, please remember to use sunscreen liberally and often.
4. If, you become too intoxicated to walk, speak, or remember basic details about yourself, please DO NOT swim in the Gulf. Pay attention to the flags. Red is bad, double- red means stay out of the water and can cost you a fine if you are caught swimming (or floundering helplessly). But remember, if you are having trouble walking, swimming is a very bad idea no matter which flags are flying. *Bonus tip - Purple flags indicate dangerous marine life may be present.
5. *Money-saving tip - iPhones can get too hot on the Beach and stop working. Keep yours cool, covered and dry. Check it ever so often to make sure it does not feel too warm.
6. It's always a good idea to have someone in your group designated to pay attention to these tips and safety measures. It's ok to alternate. Have someone who might be feeling poorly from the night before? Give that individual lots of water, Gatorade and Redbull and ask him/her to review all of your decisions before you take action. Return the favor.
7. Don't drink alcohol if you are underage. If you are of age, at least try to moderate the amount of alcohol you consume. If you follow this rule all of the above tips will be easier and your trip much more enjoyable. Honest.
8. No matter how you choose to spend your time here in Panama City Beach, you're on vacation and want to make sure you don't miss out on a minute of fun. After a full schedule and constant excitement some vacationers attempt to drive long hours on little or no sleep. Try and get some rest the night before you begin your drive home. A well-rested driver is a safe driver and we will all rest easy knowing that you made it home safely and will be around for Spring Breaks to come.
Last week, Harry Harper, attorney for Allen Johnson (former ShowNTail owner, sent a letter to Bay County Planning and Zoning, applying to reopen the club at another location within an industrial park off Thomas Drive, 7708 McElvey Road.
In January, Allen Johnson, owner of the former Show N Tail adult club on Thomas Drive that burned in 2006, appeared before the Bay County Commission requesting an appeal of the Commission's denial of his application to rebuild the club on Holly Circle in the industrial park off Thomas Drive. Last week, Harry Harper, Johnson's attorney, sent a letter to Bay County Planning and Zoning, applying to reopen the club at another location within the park, 7708 McElvey Road.
The history appears to be that an ordinance was in place at the time the former club burned prohibiting adult clubs on major corridors. The grandfather status Show N Tail had enjoyed under this ordinance was lost when over 50% of the structure was destroyed by fire. Unable to rebuild in the same location, the owner apparently filed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance that prevented it. There was an alleged oral understanding reached with the County Commission at the time ensuring that variances would be granted allowing him to rebuild on Holly Circle. However, when the application was made last year, it was denied because the new location violated ordinance restrictions regarding proximity to residential areas. Johnson, apparently concerned about certain deed restrictions applicable to the Holly Circle location, recently made another application to locate ShowNTail at 7708 McElvey Road in the same industrial park, but in an area without deed restrictions.
County ordinances limit adult businesses, not just from major corridors, but only to industrial park areas. For Show N Tail to rebuild in an unincorporated area, one of two things has to happen. One is that a location in an industrial park that is sufficiently distant from churches, schools and residential neighborhoods has to be found. Or, two, a variance of some or all of the restrictions has to be granted by the county.
The issue at present appears to be whether a variance of the distance requirement from residential areas and parks will be granted for the McElvey Road location. Public comments by some county commissioners suggest they believe the variance is necessary to avoid a costly lawsuit. Notwithstanding, both applications to date have been denied.
The lawsuit could not be based on the alleged oral agreement, however. An oral agreement with former government officials is simply not enforceable. The lawsuit would have to challenge the validity of the ordinances restricting the locations of adult clubs. Despite the comments of some present and former commissioners expressing concern about the expense of such a lawsuit, it looks as though the county is standing on its denials.
The location involved in the present application, 7708 McElvey Road, is right next door to a ballet school. We include a video below showing the location.
To raise money for next semester's activities, the FSU-PC
Psychology Club is hosting the 1st Annual Seminole Showdown
Car Show on Saturday, March 20th.
Hot cars and college students are descending onto Panama City. Before you automatically assume I am referring to the mass of Spring Breakers who will be partying all over our beaches the next few weeks, take a moment to remember our own FSU campus. Located next to Gulf Coast Community College, the FSU-PC campus provides high-level education and degrees to community members of all ages, conducts valuable research, and houses many civic-minded student organizations.
One such organization is the Psychology Club. The Psychology Club has been beneficial to students and community alike through food and clothing drives for local charities, participating in the Adopt-a-Highway program, sponsoring guest lecturers and lectures for FSU students such as 'Getting into Graduate School' and sending students to conventions such as APS, where they can present research projects they have contributed towards and gain valuable experience in their fields of study.
To raise money for next semester's activities, the FSU-PC Psychology Club is hosting the 1st Annual Seminole Showdown Car Show on Saturday, March 20th. The club is looking for registrations of classic cars, import tuners, low riders, motorcycles and more. Registration is $20.00 for non- students and $15.00 for FSU students. Twenty-inch trophies donated by Bay Engraving will be awarded to the top 20 vehicles and a People's Choice vote will bring an even bigger prize to its winner. The event is free to spectators and, in addition to the show, a live DJ will pump up the crowds. Goodie bags, giveaways, raffles and food will also be available.
Kelley Roberts, event organizer and Events Chair of the Psychology Club, says "I have been in a ton of car shows with my car. I am so excited to be putting on a car show because I love cars and I want to raise a lot of money for the Psychology Club here at FSU PC. For the 1st Annual FSU -PC Seminole Showdown we want as many cars, giveaways and spectators as possible to really make a stand in the community to hopefully keep having the event every year!" For information about the event or registration contact Kelley at klr08d@fsu.edu. Vroom Vroom!
Annual GFWC Women's Club Red Stocking Revue this Friday and Saturday at the Marina Civic Center was a great time!
The 2010 GFWC Women's Club Red Stocking Revue opened at the Marina Civic center Friday evening for it's annual two day run of singing, dancing, comedy and fundraising. Since 1913 the Women's Club of Panama City has been working with our community to provide support in many ways, from donating funds for school books to 'organizing the first Bay County Library' according to Jan Gainer, President of the Women's Club. The Revue began with 7 red stockings hanging from the stage, a hot air balloon backdrop and a stage filled with members of the community singing We're Going Travelin' and Up, Up and Gone to an enormous crowd of peers, family and friends. The theme of this year's show is 'Around the World In About Two Hours' and the determined cast kept this promise through a fast-paced series of acts from all over the world. Katie Parry sang Irish Voice in an enchanting soprano to a hushed audience, followed by Forrest Whitehurst's mellifluous account of Smiling Eyes to begin the adventure in Ireland. The Marina Civic Center was transformed into a world cruise as the acts traveled through Italy, Britain, Latin America, Africa and more!
Dancer Sallie Whitehurst, whose family has been participating in the Red Stocking Revue since 1984, had this to say: "Paraphrasing Jackie Robinson, our lives are only effective if we affect others' lives. I learned stewardship to community from my parents. It was with great pride that I participated alongside them again in the Red Stocking Revue, a follies show of the Woman's Club of Panama City raising monies to support local philanthropic organizations. The RSR is a tremendous display of community talent and an enjoyable evening for the cast and audience. A hearty thank you to the Woman's Club, local sponsors, the community cast and crew and our supportive audience."
Video of Hands across the Sand demonstration in Seaside.
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND
Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at 12:30pm CST residents of Florida gathered along the beach outside of Bud and Alley's restaurant in Seaside for a peaceful demonstration against near-shore drilling allowed in HB1219, which was passed by the Florida House of Representatives on April 27th, 2009. This bill will allow oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico three (3) miles from the coastline if it becomes law. Citizens who oppose this bill drew an imaginary line across the sand Saturday to show their concern for the possible negative environmental and economic impacts of near-shore drilling.
The event, deemed Hands Across the Sand by its organizers David Pleat and David Rauschkolb, had an impressive turn out despite the crisp winter weather. Over 400 men, women and children showed up to join hands in Seaside, and many other towns and communities in Florida reported demonstrations as well.
According to the Hands Across the Sand website, the event was intended to 'raise awareness about pending Florida legislation to drill for oil in our coastal waters. Bill Rosenberg, one of four who participated in Seagrove, said 'hopefully the movement does something to let everybody know that we care about our beaches.'
'It just feels right' is Apple's selling point for the new
iPad announced today by Steve Jobs. Hope it does 'feel
right' cause there is not a whole lot new here. It is pretty
much like a big iPod.
'It just feels right' is Apple's selling point for the new iPad announced today by Steve Jobs. Hope it does 'feel right' cause there is not a whole lot new here. It's pretty much like a big iPod. The promoted features are: web browsing with Safari, a built-in email client, photo album that stacks your photos, high resolution videos,(including a YouTube app that plays HD videos), maps, notes, calendar, contacts, iBooks (supported by the new iBooks store), and searching features.
There is an onscreen touch keyboard, but no stylus or ability to write notes rather than type them. The 'multi-touch' screen is supposed to provide an intuitive way to view the web and process your email, pictures, music, etc. iPhone apps are supposed to work on it out of the box, but new, more powerful apps, just for the iPad, are promised to be in the pipe. (A new SDK for developers was mentioned.)
Many questions about the long awaited Apple pad were answered today, but many remain unanwered. Alot of what it can ultimately do and not do will depend on third party developers. For now, it just looks like a big iPod to us. WiFi models shipping in late March. 3G models shipping in April. One bit of good news, however, is that is only about half the expected price. You can get one for around $500.00. One advantage, we guess, is that it will be alot easier to read than an iPhone or an iPod for older folks. And, Apple may be right, it may just 'feel so right' that everybody will want one. Would be a good way to keep up with pcbenews.
If interested, you can see more at the new site brought up by Apple this morning, apple.com/ipad
A local Panama City business, recently impacted by the closure of Peoples First Community Bank, raised approximately 10 garbage bags filled with blankets, coats, shoes, and sweaters to donate to the Rescue Mission.
This past Monday a news report was aired by WMBB requesting donations of coats, blankets, sweaters, gloves, etc for the Panama City Rescue Mission in light of the frigid temperatures we are recently experiencing. Our economy is feeling the recession and the locals of the Panama City area could easily have looked the other way and not taken the time to help their fellow man. They did not.
A local business, recently impacted by the closure of Peoples First Community Bank, raised approximately 10 garbage bags filled with blankets, coats, shoes, and sweaters to donate to the Rescue Mission. Rebekah Garrett, the employee who brought the donations on Friday afternoon gave the following quote “It is our job as a community to help those less fortunate and I feel privileged to be able to contribute.” That the other employees of this business felt the same was evident by the amount of items collected in just one week. Not only this business, but many others, as well as individuals appeared to have answered the call to aid the homeless. Bags of donated clothes, blankets and supplies filled a room inside the mission on Friday afternoon when Garrett made her visit.
Our sugar sand beaches bring tourists from all over the world, however, the way our town banded together to answer the call for aid reminds me that it isn’t the beaches that make Panama City beautiful, it’s the locals.
With 2009 laid to rest we begin a new year and a new decade in Panama City Beach and surrounding areas. PCBeNews is prepared to hit this new decade head on with its coverage and commentary of Panama City Beach news and events.
With 2009 laid to rest we begin a new year and a new decade in Panama City Beach and surrounding areas. PCBeNews is prepared to hit this new decade head on and, along with our complete aggregration of news and events, deliver a variety of articles, videos and reviews on all aspects of life in our beach community. PCBeNews is designed to be the one website you can be sure to get all the news and events from all of the major local news sources. We also scour the blogs around the world to find those interesting mentions of Panama City Beach or its activities. We top off the recipe with our own captures of local flavor.
Starting this month, our 'Best Of' series will take one category of interest and explore the good, bad, ugly and divine that the Panama City Beach area has to offer before concluding where 'the best' resides. Our research will cover culinary, natural, cinematic, theatrical, exhilirating, visual and even 'touristic' elements. We start this month with what seems to be the most practical pleasure to enjoy during such a cold snap: coffee.
In addition to the 'Best Of' series, PCBeNews will provide in-depth analysis of key stories, such as the issue of off-shore oil drilling, a frequent compilation of the most pertinent or entertaining new items from major news sources, and regular articles on coastal living. Our most exciting new project will be 'Five Minutes of Fame Fridays' which will kick-off in the spring. We are in discussions with a local bar and restaurant to host this event, which will be open to everyone and allow anyone who thinks they have talent (or not) to get their five minutes of fame!
With all of these new and exciting additions to PCBeNews we are looking forward to an amazing new year.
2009/2010 New Year's Eve Celebration at Pier Park in Panama City Beach.
It seemed like all of Panama City Beach was celebrating the New Year at Pier Park Thursday night. We enjoyed mingling with the crowds and getting some great video of performers and fellow celebrators. It was a wonderful time!
Peoples First Community Bank, closed by Office of Thrift Supervision, purchased from FDIC by Hancock Bank of Gulfport, MS.
Peoples First Community Bank was closed today by the Office of Thrift Supervision. The bank, which employs approximately 500 people in the Panama City area, has been a huge influence on the community. A press release states "To protect depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Hancock Bank, Gulfport, Mississippi, to assume all of the deposits of Peoples First Community Bank." Full information from the FDIC, including how the transition will affect depositors, is available at FDIC Website
Ideas to help spruce up your holiday decorations that are ideal for coastal Floridians and the environmentally conscious.
Have you been putting off your Christmas decorating for lack of inspiration? Often times it is hard to come up with fresh ideas to beautify your home during the holidays. Here are a few simple ideas to help get you started.Begin by taking a fresh look at what you already have. Then look for new ways to use those old tired decorations from Christmases past.
Put old Christmas ball ornaments to new use in a large bowl with sprigs of fresh cut cedar, juniper, or ivy. Loosely drape a length of ribbon across the arrangement for added panache.
A glass garden cloche or clear cake dome can be used to highlight a particularly unique or favorite ornament. Simply make a bed of cut evergreens or moss in a clear glass plate, attach a pretty ribbon to the ornament and place on top of your cuttings. Cover with the cloche and use for a unique centerpiece.
Remember all those sea shells you picked up while beachcombing last summer? Make an ornament with them by gluing them randomly onto a Styrofoam ball or form. Use stick pins to place pearlized beads in the gaps. Coat with a quick spray of clear satin polyurethane and allow to dry. Make a hanging loop from an 8” length of narrow ribbon in gold or silver and attach to the top of the ball with a hat pin.
Have a shallow sided serving tray or dish? Fill it with sugar white beach sand, place pillar candles in varying heights in the sand and sprinkle tiny sea shells at random over the ‘beach’ surface.
What could be easier than piling fresh lemons in a large wooden bowl. This type of arrangement has simple elegance and provides a clean citrus scent to your home as a bonus.
Coil clear or colored Christmas tree lights (for outdoor use only) in galvanized garden tubs and place several around the entrance to your home or on your porch or patio. They will glow from within and create an atmosphere of warmth and cheer.
Take a walk around your landscape and see what Mother Nature may have on hand for your use. Saw Palmetto for instance is abundant in our area and the fronds can be used outdoors in a slender urn or inside in a vase with other greens or flowers. Tie a wide ribbon in red or green or both around the container for instant glamour.
When using fresh cut greenery, be mindful of the hazard created when using it around candles, fireplaces, space heaters, Christmas tree lights and even direct sunlight in a window arrangement. Re-hydrate by soaking in water overnight and keep your cuttings moist, and discarding and replacing them when they begin to dry out.
Magnolia boughs are long lasting and lend themselves to many types of arrangements. Try several tied together with bright Christmas ribbon to form a swag for your front door instead of a traditional wreath. Candy canes, toy soldiers, cinnamon sticks or fresh cut asparagus fern are just a few ideas for garnishment. Or recycle some old glass ball ornaments by wiring several together to form a cluster, then attaching to the magnolia swag. Tuck a few springs of rosemary in among the other embellishments so every time your door opens and closes you’ll get a nice whiff of that fresh piney scent.
There are many evergreen shrubs in home landscapes that can also be used instead of cut flowers. And there are alternatives to traditional vases also. Give a pitcher or watering can a new life with an arrangement of cut evergreens such as ligustrum, pittosporum, and nandina. Or use cut pyracantha. Its bright red berries are perfect for Christmas arrangements. If you do use pyracantha, be careful of the thorns; handle with heavy duty garden gloves.
Camellias are blooming now and are wonderful floating in a decorative bowl, alone or with floating candles. There are so many varieties and colors, mixing several together can make an outstanding display.
Remember to soak your cuttings overnight in water to make them longer-lasting. Crush woody stems to help them absorb water more readily before arranging, and exchange water daily. Keep all cuttings away from candle flames, heater venting and direct sunlight, and replace with fresh cuttings if your greenery becomes dry or wilts.
When the season is over, dispose of all those not-so-fresh cuttings and trees responsibly. Locally, Bay County is offering free disposal of Christmas trees and greenery. Between Dec. 26 and Jan. 10 drop off used Christmas trees for processing at the following locations:
• Pete Edwards Field, 7300 McElvey Road, Panama City Beach • Bay County Fairgrounds, Sherman Avenue and U.S. 98, Panama City • Bay County Waste-to-Energy Facility, 6510 Bayline Dr., Bayou George • H.G. Harders Park, 7900 John Pitts Road, Bayou George
Tree waste will be used to fuel the Bay County incinerator, a waste-to-energy facility that serves to lessen the impact of yard and household garbage on the environment by keeping it out of landfills, with the added bonus of creating useable energy in the process. Other options are to put used greenery to use as seasonal mulch in your garden, or if you have a composter, shred the greenery and use to make compost, provided it hasn’t been chemically treated.
There are countless ways to embellish your home for the Holidays. Simply re-thinking objects you already have and materials available in your landscape and putting them to practical use can not only enhance your home but save you money as well. Happy Decorating.
2009 Panama City Beach Christmas Parade in Pier Park.
2009 Panama City Beach Christmas Parade in Pier Park. Featuring Arnold High School's Blue Thunder, the Surfside Middle School marching band, Mosley High marching band, Santa and more!
One of the great attractions now in Panama City Beach and Pier Park is Margaritaville, a restaurant themed after and owned by legendary singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett. PCBENews has enjoyed many a boatdrink in the life-sized vessel next to the dance floor while listening to the house band rock latest songs from the radio along with classic Jimmy Buffett favorites. The Margaritaville website states, "you don't have to change your latitute to change your attitude" and we agree. The view is almost as good as Schooner's and the menu is a seafood lover's dream. I, however, am partial to my cheeseburger in paradise.
What happens when patrons with musical skills eat at a Panama City Beach restaurant in the wintertime when no music is playing?
What happens when patrons with musical skills eat at a Panama City Beach restaurant in the wintertime when no music is playing? Panama City Beach is a unique place in the world. Yes, it has lost, and is still losing, some of its traditional local flavor. But, much still remains and the true character of PCB is not in danger of disappearing anytime soon. PCB is a place where people relax and have fun. After dinner and a couple of beers at a PCB local restaurant, this group of musicians just went to their cars, grabbed their guitars, and made their own music. We grabbed our video camera to capture it for you. As we officially launch on December 1, 2009, it will be our mission, in addition to keeping you up to date on the latest local news and events, to capture these unique PCB moments and share them with you. Take a look, listen, and enjoy!
Searching for backup music for our videos, we began to wonder what, if any, songs were out there about Panama City Beach. A quick web search revealed that the CD Familiar Stranger, released January 1, 2008, by country artist Mark Wills has a song about Panama City Beach, entitled Panama City. (As we expected, a lot of references are to “Panama City” when “Panama City Beach” is meant.) Among songs just mentioning Panama City (Beach) are Sammy Kershaw’s Cadillac Style, Guitar Man by Elvis and Jerry Reed, When It All Goes South by Alabama, Daytona Nights by Hank Williams, Jr., Jason Aldean’s We Laughed Until We Cried, and Travis Twitt’s Girls Gone Wild. Also in this category are If I Could Do It Again by Corey Smith and Spring Break by RightSideoftheTree. The Black Lip’s song Dirty Hands, makes fun of spring breakers at PCB with the line, “I got a tattoo of a dolphin on my belly button and bobby got a tattoo that said ‘Panama City Beach 3003’.
Panama City Blues was recorded by Larry and the Loafers in 1960 in Birmingham, Alabama. Rod Richards and Friends also recorded a CD named Panama City Blues in 2008.
We though it would be fun to create some Amazon Widgets with these songs. Unfortunately, the short preview in the widget does not always include the reference to PC or PCB. Also, there is some ambiguity whether a given song refers to Panama City, Florida, or Panama City, Panama. But, that’s why we have a comment link. We’re sure you'll help us out with any mistakes or omissions.
The first widget has songs with Panama City referenced in the name. The next includes songs with Panama City in the lyrics.
Modonnaro Street Painting Festival is underway at Pier Park! The event is scheduled to last through Sunday and artists are hoping that tonight's forecasted rain isn't too heavy.
The midnight premier of New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight saga was sold out in 7 theatres Thursday night at the Grand 16 in Pier Park. As evidence of the technology era, no one was standing in line outside by 11:15, but the lobby was packed with theater patrons. Most tickets were probably purchased online beforehand, or at the electronic ticket booths inside.
Students from the Psychology Club and Social Work Club at FSU-PC co-hosted a Second Chance Olympics on campus Friday morning, Nov. 6th. The event was a great success for both the adults of Second Chance and the students. Second Chance of NW Florida is an organization which assists individuals who have experienced Traumatic or Acquired Brain Injuries. The activities featured bowling, trivia, a frisbee and bean bag toss, an FSU-logo drawing contest and more! To learn more about Second Chance of Northwest Florida visit their website at http://secondchancenwfl.com.
Why not have all the info you need on Panama City Beach in one place? Now you do. News, events, pics, videos, . . . you name it. If it has to do with Panama City Beach, you will find it at pcbenews.com
Why not have all the info you need on Panama City Beach in one place? Now you do. News, events, pics, videos, . . . you name it. If it has to do with Panama City Beach, you will find it at pcbenews.com
