Following an Executive Order by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist authorizing reappraisals for property owners affected by the BP oil disaster, the U.S. government's top cleanup official is now predicting the Gulf of Mexico spill should miss South Florida altogether and probably not even reach the Florida Keys, according to the latest news reports.
The Miami Herald followed with a July 31 story reporting that the oil spill will probably not even reach the Florida Keys at the sourthern tip of the state.
Retired U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the top expert in charge of the cleanup, credits Tropical Storm Bonnie's arrival in the Gulf of Mexico in helping to dissipate the crude. Tropical Storm Boonie also steered the crude away from the loop current, which could have sent oil into the Gulfstream east around the tip of Florida and north into the Atlantic Ocean.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported in June that there was up to an 80 percent chance the spill would hit South Florida shorelines. A newer analysis released by NOAA last week indicates the oil should miss beaches in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties if the well remains caped.
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