Tampa, FL: A Florida restaurateur and a homeowners' association have filed a class action against BP Oil, Haliburton Energy, TransOcean, and a number of other defendants seeking either the funding or the implementation or both of 'protective barriers' for the waterfront areas that are threatened by the massive environmental catasrophe.
Specifically, Destin City Councilman Dewey Destin, who owns two seafood restaurants in Destin, and the Edgewater Beach Owners Association are seeking an immediate injunction to force BP PLC and the other companies involved with the oil spill to fund the protection of the East Pass, Santa Rosa Sound, Choctawhatchee Bay and the beaches in Okaloosa and Walton counties immediately. Protective booms designed to trap the oil are in Escambia and Bay counties, but have not reached Okaloosa, Walton or Santa Rosa counties.
Additionally, the lawsuit asks that the defendants be held liable for gross negligence and willful misconduct.
The plaintiffs seeks to represent individuals or entities that own or lease real property, and/or those that have businesses, including fishing-related businesses, within certain boundaries in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
During a town hall meeting at which some 500 people were present, area residents and business owners were encouraged to document all of their expenses for preparation of the oil slick and associated clean up, and to photograph their efforts. And, business owners were also told to keep detailed records of lost revenue as a result of the oil spill.
