The Tourist Development Council of Franklin County, together with other similar organizations and the State of Florida are working together to reassure the public that our beaches and our seafood are safe and oil-free. In addition, many vacation rental companies and hotels are offering “guaranteed” vacations in the event the spill does affect our area.

So, to answer the question many have asked us, here is what you can do to help in this crisis: Stay informed, and help with the dissemination of factual, upbeat information. Sign up for newsletters and updates on the Franklin County TDC website, www.anaturalescape.com . Also, the local station, Forgotten Coast TV, sends out periodic newsletters with updated information and current videos of the beaches and other attractions. Visit www.ForgottenCoastTV.com .

AGENCIES CONTINUE TO MONITOR WATER QUALITY TO PREVENT UNNECESSARY FISHING BANS
TALLAHASSEE- -State agencies in Florida as well as several federal agencies involved in the response to the Deepwater Horizon Incident in the Gulf of Mexico continue to conduct tests, including sampling of water, fish, shellfish and habitats along the Florida coastline and into the Gulf of Mexico. Officials with the Florida Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have indicated they have no intention of halting commercial and recreational fishing in Florida until there is evidence that the action is necessary.

“Florida seafood has not been impacted by this oil spill at all and is completely safe,” said Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson. “There is no reason to take any action at this point and numerous agencies continue to monitor the situation and take test samples and will ensure the integrity of any seafood product being sold.”

While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has temporarily closed off portions of federal waters from Louisiana to Pensacola to offshore fishing, inshore waters have not been impacted by the action. The closure in the Florida Panhandle impacts waters at least twenty miles from shore. Currently, numerous species of seafood including grouper, shrimp, flounder and swordfish as well as shellfish are safely being harvested in Florida waters and federal waters not included in the temporary closure. At this time, there are no indications of any health risks to Floridians due to the Deepwater Horizon incident. The Department of Health (DOH) and DEP are closely monitoring health and environmental impacts to Florida’s beaches and will notice an advisory if conditions become unsafe.

The movement of the oil spill is heavily dependent on weather conditions so it is difficult to predict what will happen beyond about 72 hours. However, response agencies have indicated that weather conditions have improved enough to facilitate resuming applying dispersants and skimming operations. The federal and state governments have strong systems in place to test and monitor seafood safety and to prohibit harvesting from affected areas and keeping oiled products out of the marketplace. NOAA Fisheries is working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the States to ensure seafood safety, by assessing whether
seafood is tainted or contaminated to levels that pose a risk to human health.

Agency leaders are concerned that misconceptions about the status of seafood harvesting in Florida could have a devastating impact on the state’s vital seafood and tourism industries. They want to ensure residents and visitors are getting the facts and say if there is any change in the status of fishing in Florida, the information will be immediately released.

For the most up-to-date information on Florida’s Deepwater Horizon response, as well as health and safety tips, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon, follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/FLDEPAlert or contact the Florida Emergency Information Line at 800-342-3557.

“The federal home buyer tax credits played a key role in increasing market activity,” says James Mallozzi, chairman and CEO of Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services. “However, it is part of a larger fundamental shift that most importantly includes low mortgage rates and falling home prices.”

Consumers are certainly noticing that shift. Seventy percent of survey respondents said now is a “great” or “good” time to buy a home. And when asked whether the expiration of the home buyer tax credit would affect their decision to purchase a home, just 8 percent said it would make them much less interested in the prospect. The majority of respondents—65 percent—said it would have little or no effect on their interest in buying a house.

The Prudential Real Estate Outlook Survey was administered from April 15-20, 2010, to 1,000 U.S. consumers with at least $35,000 in annual household income. Want more information? Read the full 2010 Prudential Real Estate Outlook Survey or view the supporting charts and graphs.

According to data from the 2008 Florida Visitor Guide, produced by Visit Florida, visitors who arrive by auto spend 20% of their budget on accommodations, 24% on food, 13% on shopping, 16% on entertainment, 22% on transportation and 5% on miscellaneous.

Based on this data, Franklin County visitors spent a total of $186,250,000 in 2009. Estimated expenditures in other categories are $44,700,000 on food, $24,212,500 on shopping and $9,312,500 on miscellaneous.

The Tourist Development Council currently funds three visitor centers (St. George Island, Apalachicola and Carrabelle), beach cleanup, a seafood history park, non-profit organization grants & events, advertising & marketing, national media tours and capital projects that are tourist-related.

The TDC is authorized and funded to promote tourism in Franklin County in accordance with Florida Statutes Section 125.0104. For more information about tourism in Franklin County, Florida see www.anaturalescape.com.

Article submitted by Helen Spohrer, REALTOR, CCIM, CDPE
Chairman, Franklin County Tourist Development Council
Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty

Weems Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed facility with 24-hour emergency service in Apalachicola, formed a clinical affiliation with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in 2008. Weems especially benefits from TMH’s professional growth and development programs because the same “best practices” utilized at TMH are being brought to the staff and patients of Weems. Among the many recent positive changes is the addition of an endoscopic unit and noted gastroenterologist James W. Stockwell, MD, founder of the Digestive Disease Clinic in Tallahassee, who now performs colonoscopies at Weems weekly. Other services now available locally include mammography, physical and respiratory therapy, a sleep clinic, and the ability to perform as many as sixty different kinds of lab tests – all services that far exceed what other rural hospitals are able to provide.

A new Urgent Care Clinic, Weems Medical Center East, is currently under construction in Carrabelle and is operating temporarily in the former Carrabelle High School building. The new building will have approximately 5,000 square feet and will house two physicians’ offices, five examining rooms, and areas for radiology and laboratories.

In Port St. Joe, the new Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf opened in March, 2010. The new 25-bed hospital is part of Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, and is part of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. It features a 24-hour emergency department, inpatient services, surgical services, a full complement of diagnostic, imaging and laboratory services, and a helipad to provide rapid transport for trauma or critically ill patients. A new medical office complex near the hospital is under construction and expected to open in Summer, 2010, offering mammography, ultrasound, speech and physical therapy, dialysis services, and primary and specialty physician services.

For additional information about the rapidly improving health services and benefits on the Forgotten Coast, visit:

Weems Memorial Hospital: http://www.weemsmemorial.com/
Weems Medical Center East: http://www.weemsmemorial.com/carrabelle-clinic.aspx
Sacred Heart on the Gulf: http://www.sacred-heart.org/gulf/

The Florida Legislature passed a law that went into effect January 1, 2009, stating that a residential structure located in the “wind-borne debris region” (which includes all of Franklin & Gulf Counties and most of Bay County) with an insured value of $750,000 or more is not eligible for coverage by Citizens Insurance unless it has opening protections as required under the Florida Building Code. In other words, all windows, doors, garage doors and skylights must be properly protected using approved products and means of installation.

The rule has caused some confusion and consternation in coastal areas such as St. George Island, where many homes fall into the “over $750,000” category and where Citizens Insurance in many cases is the only wind insurance option. Wallace explained that there are other companies offering wind insurance coverage, but when homes are not used as primary residences, the options narrow and could also depend upon whether or not the structure is in a gated community, or professionally managed; ownership types such as LLC or trusteeship may also eliminate some options. According to Wallace, not all insurers currently require opening protections, but significant rate reductions are often available for homes meeting certain levels of protection.

Both Wallace and Ashburn reminded the group that as independent insurance companies limit their risks in Florida, Citizens Insurance could be the only choice for some home owners; therefore it would be prudent to follow the Citizens standards when adding opening protection. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the State’s homeowners’ insurance safety net. It was created by the Legislature in 2002 to offer property coverage to Floridians without private insurance options.

Madani provided valuable technical information specific to the Florida Building Code. The opening protection legislation cites the Florida Building Code, which went into effect March 1, 2002. Therefore, if the building permit for the structure was granted after March 1, 2002, its windows, doors, garage doors and skylights will have already met the requirements and should not require any retrofitting in order to qualify for wind insurance. It is the older structures – those with building permits prior to March 1, 2002 – that will require upgrades with code-compliant opening protection in order to be insurable by Citizens (if valued over $750,000).

Madani also explained that DCA has a product approval system, and that the list of approved products – shutters, fabric storm panels, skylights, etc. – can be found on its website www.floridabuilding.org. All approved impact-resistant covering systems must be permanently labeled with specific information relative to its approval by DCA, the label must be in a specific location on the product, and the product must have been installed according to the manufacturer’s approved instructions. The discussion addressed the fact that many vendors will call their products “hurricane shutters,” or say that the product is rated for high impact. But if the product does not have the state-designated permanent label, it is not an approved product. Also, according to Madani, films cannot pass the standards as the protection must be an integrated system, and there are no approved films at this time. In order to be safe, Madani recommends that when installing impact-resistant systems, the home owner should always hire a licensed contractor, have the work permitted and properly inspected by the local building inspector, and always look for the permanent label on the product.

The organization will be partly funded by a $10 fee charged to visitors from countries included in the Visa Waiver Program, which will be collected through the Department for Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization. The rest of the funding will come through a matching program in private sector contributions.

The next step calls for creation of an 11-member board representing the tourism industry from around the country.

“By signing the Travel Promotion Act, President Obama has acted to support the power of travel to serve as an economic stimulant, job generator, and diplomatic tool,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. Helen Spohrer, Realtor with Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty on St. George Island, and Chairperson of the Franklin County Tourism Development Council, said “This is certain to be a boost for Florida’s economy. Combined with the benefit of the new Panama City airport, this Act could also translate to increased tourism on the Forgotten Coast.”