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Complaints over BP’s Claims process are reaching a fever pitch and state lawmakers in Florida have had enough. As Whitney Ray tells us, they’ve invited the BP Claims Czar to Tallahassee to find out why Florida businesses aren’t getting paid.

Fed up because Floridians aren’t getting paid for the economic mess the BP oil spill created Representative Doug Broxson headed to Ohio.

That’s where BP hired eight hundred operators to handle Florida claims. Broxson says that’s just one of the problems with the way the oil giant is handling claims.

“It’s a beautiful plan that’s been put together by a masterful group of people to frustrate the claimants,” said Broxson.

Broxson will join state lawmakers Friday as they try to find out why the BP claims process is broken and how Claims Czar Ken Feinberg plans to fix it.

State lawmakers want to know why identical claims are often treated differently.

Carol Dover, President of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association says some of her members are happy with the process, but others are furious.

“Many of them haven’t survived. I mean you can turn around its about every week, we find another either restaurant or hotel that’s closing or letting staff go,” said Dover.

Feinberg has control of a 20 billion dollar fund to pay people hurt financially by the spill. Half a million people have filed claims… almost one in two have been denied. Governor Rick Scott is among those who want answers.

“We have to come up with a process where people feel comfortable that… they know how to do it, where the money is coming from because there are variety of places where monies coming from and that we can tract how he is doing,” said Scott.
The Governor and State Lawmakers want refrain from finger pointing when Finberg visits Tallahassee Friday, but with Floridians losing their jobs because of BP’s not making good on its promise… it’s likely to get heated.

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association has set up a hotline for people seeking legal advice over mishandled claims. The advice if free to the association’s members. The website is www.weitzlux.com/florida-restaurant-oil-spill-lawyers_1962249.html