Florida

The BP oil spill is damaging more than just the ecological aspects Gulf of Mexico, as the economies of the Gulf states are suffering, too. An economist from the University of Central Florida in Orlando predicts that this disaster could cost Florida’s economy $2.2 billion. He also estimates that 39,000 jobs will be lost. The reason for this is that tourism has plummeted since the spill. This further prevents the Florida economy from reaching its full potential in an already difficult economy.

As British Petroleum, the U.S. government and other various entities continue to determine an effective way to stop the steady daily flow of hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Florida fishermen are continuing to mount lawsuits against BP as well. Claiming the spill is cutting their catches in half and ruining their livelihoods, the fishermen filed their class action suit on the same day the government started shutting down prime fishing locations.