The Economic Impact of the Oil Spill in Cape Coral (Tampa: rental, maintenance)

[Compression]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

E. Taubert wrote the article.

.......enough said.

Now, as to the topic........

While I havent heard of any cancelled hotel/resort reservations in this area, I'm reasonably certain they have occured.

As to the impact on the marine industry, nothing local(I've heard of), as of yet. However it is assumed that it just a matter of time. Further north, many vessels of the fishing fleets have been placed on the market, along with some of the touristy type day cruise boats, gambling concerns, etc.....As they go away, so will the shoreside businesses and jobs that support them, another cascade of woe......

Many believe that with as much oil as has been released, that almost certainly it will show up here, eventually. Hopefully not with the same impact as is being seen further up the coast, but even a light sheen will drive many away. If you think the local concerns that rely on their income from tourism, and fishing, etc. arent considering their options, you're mistaken. At the moment, for this area anyway, it is for the most part a wait and see attitude that dominates.

I dont believe that the oil is a killer of the local economy, in and of itself(although the potential is there), but it is a potent component of the bigger picture. The announcement of this years hurricane forecast will probably go as far toward turning people away as well.

In short the oil situation is just another single part of another "perfect storm" brewing for SW Florida. The bottom line is, whatever happens, someone will need to pick up the pieces and carry on.....that means jobs.......that's a good thing, right?.....so, dont worry, be happy.

YC.......

[JBMallory]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

E. Taubert wrote the article.

shows you how much attention I was paying.


Either way,

There is too much hype about this oil spill. The currents are/were carrying the oil AWAY from us. Why everyone is getting all bent about it, is beyond me. There is NOTHING you can or will do about it, until it becomes a problem, then it's too late anyways. You won't go put up boons or build sandbars now, but when the oil gets close enough, you'll want to put plans into motion, and by the time the train leaves the station, it's too late.

[yoko]

Originally Posted by yoko

" The economic impact of the oil spill is starting to spread beyond the beaches of Louisiana and Alabama. Some Southwest Florida real estate agents say buyers are backing out of deals because of uncertainty about the oil. "

" We actually had two contracts cancel today," said real estate company owner xxx. “


May/26/2010
Critics say Crist falling short on oil spill - Florida - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/26/1648097_p2/critics-say-crist-falling-short.html - broken link)

For cancellation of booked vacations to Florida, German travel agencies have set the following rules:

A. There will be a 100% refund of bookings for Florida free of charge, if the destination was in beach areas of Florida.

B. If the destination was in a combination of beach and no beach areas, there will be no refund for booked traveling plans. But free of charge, German tourists can rebook for something else.

C. If the travel destination is not in beach areas, there will be no refund. Cancellations will be charged.



June/03/2010
Öl-Alarm in Florida: Was Urlauber beachten müssen - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Reise


Good thing, Cape Coral does not have any beach, right?

[Compression]

Some anecdotal evidence..........

The S.O. was telling me last evening of a german national that runs one of the resorts on FMB. Claims there has been 100% cancellation of reserved bookings. Period, as in NO bookings of any type, at any time in the future at this moment. With the failure of his business, his visa will be revoked, and he will have to return to germany(not certain if that is the case, but that is his concern). He told of similar stories up and down the beach.........

Short term doesnt look good.

OTOH, locals looking for a weekend getaway may find some rather favorable rates in the months ahead.

YC.......

[Angelala]

My agent told me today that it hasn't affected home sales.

[mrcoolmrcool28]

I can't speak for anyone else, but my wife and I will be down next month and are looking forward to boating, fishing, beaches and waterfront bars and eateries We have no thought about going elsewhere because of a little oil...party on

[yoko]

Originally Posted by yachtcare

Some anecdotal evidence..........

The S.O. was telling me last evening of a german national that runs one of the resorts on FMB. Claims there has been 100% cancellation of reserved bookings. Period, as in NO bookings of any type, at any time in the future at this moment. With the failure of his business, his visa will be revoked, and he will have to return to germany(not certain if that is the case, but that is his concern). He told of similar stories up and down the beach.........

Short term doesnt look good.

OTOH, locals looking for a weekend getaway may find some rather favorable rates in the months ahead.

YC.......

" Can't get those images of oil spewing out into the Gulf out of your head?
You're not the only one. Oil hasn't reached our shores yet, but hotels are already starting to feel the pinch.

Nervous travelers mean empty hotel rooms.

So Harbor House and most other hotels on Fort Myers Beach are offering quite the deal.

""If it does hit unexpectedly, we are there and we will refund everything if that's the case,"" she told me."


http://www.fox4now.com/global/story.asp?s=12566375 (broken link)





Local Homeless/unemployed/the working poor prefer the fresh air outside, free of charge!

[monikac21]

How sad it is for everyone - but knowing the people in our area and having experienced what people in our area did after Hurricane Charley, I just know that everyone here will work together to keep the oil off our coast and beaches. Of course it does not mean that we will just pass by - I am sure we will have some kind of dealings with the oil - but I also know that people in our area will not sit back and wait for either BP or the Goverment to help. People in our area will go and clean up and try to prevent damages to our wetlands, waters and beaches. We just have to believe and trust in our possiblities to help and prevent and stand up and act.

Also I just heard in our local News that if the the oil would come to our coast, it will not happen before September. Right now the Loop current and some other factors are protection us in SW Florida.

[yoko]

" At stake is a $2.6 billion industry in Lee County. Statewide, tourism and hospitality commerce contributes about $60 billion in annual sales and $3.2 billion in sales tax collections.


" As of Thursday, resorts on Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach had reported 17 spill-related cancellations, valued at almost $19,000 to the Lee Visitor and Convention Bureau.

Total traffic to the bureau's fortmyers-sanibel.com site was down 5.5 percent year-over-year in May. "


Gulf oil spill influences Southwest Florida tourism | news-press.com | The News-Press

Just comparing numbers current Cape Coral debt is over $1 billion !

[hiknapster]

Pensacola seems to be doing fine.

Florida Beaches Full as Playtime Runs Short - NYTimes.com

I don't think we have this link on this thread. In any event, it is great for following the spill.

Map and Estimates of Oil Spilled in the Gulf of Mexico - Interactive Map - NYTimes.com

It looks like they capped it, overnight, but of course it is still leaking. They are drilling a couple of relief holes that will ultimately be blocked off. Barring any setbacks, which we will probably see, we are at least moving forward, for now.

We are all Americans, well, except for a few exceptions (the funny Canadian and the lady that talks to herself), and we need to stick together guys. We rise and fall as one.