County eyes five projects to be funded through $6.3 million in Restore Act dollars

Surrounded by Cortez’s rich commercial fishing history within the Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources director Charlie Hunsicker announced Monday where the county wants the latest round of Restore Act funding to go.

“We are in the starting point of Manatee County’s cultural basis,” Hunsicker said. “Fishing, environment, stewardship. It all began right here and spread throughout the county.”

The Restore Act is the result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon British Petroleum oil spill that killed 11 offshore well workers and spilled millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, creating one of the worse environmental disasters of all time.

Years of legal wrangling led to a BP settlement to the Gulf states. Florida will receive $236 million of the $3.25 billion settlement. Manatee County already received $1.4 million and is due $6.3 million in the latest round of funding. The county will eventually have access to more than $12.4 million, but as part of the settlement will receive the dollars in yearly funding over a 15-year period.

The five projects now up for public review and comment include:

▪  Phase III of the Robinson Preserve expansion.

▪  Workforce development and job creation

▪  Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure

▪  Tourism promotion

▪  Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast Region.

Though no drop of oil ever touched a Manatee County beach, officials and business owners have long contended that the tourism industry along the Gulf states took a big financial hit.

“We found it important to be sure to cover both environmental protection, but also the opportunity to build our tourism economy and train our own people in taking care of what we have,” Hunsicker said in outlining the projects.

The bulk of the funding will be put toward Phase III of the Robinson Preserve expansion and watershed protection “to make sure the quality of water flowing to our bays and the Gulf is always clean,” Hunsicker said.

The Florida Maritime Museum will receive $225,000 to enhance its facilities and more than $660,000 will be put toward workforce development for both training and attracting young professionals from college into the local natural resources field. The county also hopes to fund $100,000 to the Gulf Shellfish Institute. Executive director Bruce Barber said shellfish is good for the economy and environment.

“We are hoping to find ways to increase the local species of shellfish and do restoration like enhancing populations of scallops in Sarasota Bay and working with Port Manatee to see if clams enhance sea grass production,” Barber said.

Manatee County Board of Commissioners chairwoman Betsy Benac said the county is also focused on remembering the 11 individuals who died when the Deepwater Horizon exploded. Benac said Monday’s announcement was appropriately held in Cortez, “Where the local maritime industry got started and it’s very important to remember that history as we deal with the horrific events of the oil spill and the people who lost their lives.”

Benac said Monday’s event was the “kick off” to the 45-day public comment period. The county has outlined the projects on its website and public comment is available online.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 3:43 PM with the headline "County eyes five projects to be funded through $6.3 million in Restore Act dollars."