The oil has stopped flowing and the well has been capped, but the work is far from over in restoring the Gulf region to the pristine condition it enjoyed before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
With a backdrop of U.S. Coast Guard ships at Navy Support Activity Panama City, President Barack Obama on Saturday vowed he and his administration will not slacken their efforts in the Gulf until the environment and economy are fully recovered.
“Our job is not finished, and we are not going anywhere until it is,” he said.
The comments followed a half-hour roundtable discussion with area political leaders and small business representatives on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The president called the spill the worst natural disaster America has faced, and detailed the technological difficulty that punctuated attempts to cap the well. He thanked the men and women of the Panama City Beach Coast Guard station for their tireless efforts.
“The Coast Guard was the first on the scene,” he said. “The folks here have toiled day and night, spending weeks and even months away from their family.”
The president and first lady Michelle Obama started their Panama City Beach vacation talking with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Panama City Mayor Scott Clemons, Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, hotel manager Lee Ann Leonard, charter boat Capt. Gary Jarvis and restaurant owner Carolyn Holman.
Obama said he would dedicate most of his time in the region to listening, and at the end of the roundtable discussion he said he had learned firsthand how the oil spill has damaged the Panhandle’s economy.
Jarvis has seen his business fall a full 50 percent, he said, and Leonard is relying on the off months of August and September to make up for dismal business in July, a month typically considered the height of the tourist season.
Oberst and Clemons introduced ideas about diversifying the Panhandle’s economy in an effort to protect the region from future economic turmoil if another natural disaster should rock the coast.
The president laid out a general three-point plan for the Gulf’s recovery. First, he said the water and beaches must be cleaned. The majority of the oil has evaporated, been dispersed, skimmed or burned off by cleanup crews, scientists are reporting, Obama said. The economy must be returned to its full strength by rebuilding the public perception of the region and reopening fishing waters so fishermen can get back to their profession, he said.
Ensuring the people of the Gulf are compensated for their hardship and BP is held accountable is the critical third step, he said.
Obama said he has been adamant about the streamlining of the BP claims process and will continue to lobby for the delivery of speedy aid to those who are in desperate need.
“Any delay by BP or the people overseeing these claims is unacceptable, and I will keep pushing to have those claims expedited,” he said. “… My job is to make sure we live up to this responsibility.”
His trip to Panama City Beach this weekend marks the president’s fifth visit to the oil-plagued Gulf Coast, but his first vacation in the region.
Obama said he and his family – his daughter Sasha and the family dog, Bo, were along for the trip; his other daughter, Malia, is at camp – are visiting in hopes of attracting public attention to all the region has to offer.
“The beaches are beautiful; the restaurants are good,” he said. “The Gulf is open for business.”
Crist was optimistic about the effect of a presidential visit to Florida during a difficult season for the state and hopes the trip will promote all Florida has to offer. The visit shows the president is aware of the hardships facing the Gulf coast and that he is concerned about the people, Crist said.
“It’s great to have the president here today and the first lady,” Crist said. “It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Michelle Obama visited the area earlier in the summer and encouraged Americans to come see the region’s beautiful beaches, but endured a round of criticism when the first family opted to take their vacation in Maine.
After their round table discussion and visit to the Coast Guard station, the Obamas rejoined their daughter Sasha for lunch at Lime’s Bay Side Bar and Grill on the dock at the Bay Point Marriott.
Following lunch, President Obama and Sasha took a dip in the Gulf at their hotel’s beach at Alligator Point.  The first family also got in a little golf at Pirate’s island along Front Beach Road. President Obama’s daughter, 9-year-old Sasha, showed off her golfing prowess, sinking a hole-in-one on her first hole.
President Obama and his family are expected to depart Panama City for Washington, D. C. on Sunday afternoon.
Pool Report–Josh Richardson & Will Glover
