Franklin County commission supports resolution of disproportionately affected counties

County commissioners this week offered their support to a plan that could provide more money to Franklin County and other small counties through any fines levied on BP because of the BP oil spill in 2010.

The resolution of disproportionately affected counties was designed to insure that the bulk of any money coming to Florida from fines levied on BP are actually spent in the counties that were impacted hardest by the oil spill.

It’s a proposal being pushed by Congressman Steve Southerland and covers 8 counties from Escambia east to Wakulla county.

Under the RESTORE ACT, 35 percent of any fines levied on BP will be shared equally between the 5 Gulf coast states impacted by the oil spill.

Under the resolution of disproportionately affected counties, 75 percent of any money coming to Florida would go to the counties hardest hit by the disaster.

Franklin County would then get a little over 8.4 percent of that money, Gulf County would receive 6.7 percent and Wakulla County 4.9 percent.

Escambia County, which was hardest hit by the oil spill would get over 25 percent of the funds.

All of the money is supposed to go toward rebuilding the local economies and repairing the environmental impacts of the oil spill.

If you would like to see the full text of the resolution yourself, we’ve posted it on the news page at oysterradio.com and on the oyster radio facebook page. 

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