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An early morning explosion in the Gulf of Mexico is sending shock waves all the way to Florida’s state capitol.

An oil rig exploded just west of the infamous Deepwater Horizon explosion. There is still no word on whether or not the well is leaking oil, although a 100 foot wide sheen can be seen on the water near the site of the explosion. Governor Charlie Crist, who fought for a constitutional ban on offshore oil drilling in Florida, was still catching up on the news when we caught up with him around noon today.

“We’ll I heard the same news. I think some of the details are yet to be revealed. We don’t know what all the facts are, but obviously it’s very disturbing to hear about anything like that. We hope that nobody was hurt, but I’m sure we’ll no more in a few hours,” said Crist.

This second explosion comes just one day after Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul told members there was no need for a special session to address issues related to the first explosion, which forced thousands of fishermen and tourism workers out of jobs. Supporters of a special session are using the incident to renew calls for returning to Tallahassee.

Efforts to promote the safety of Gulf seafood appear to be paying off. Federal officials have opened more Gulf waters to fishing, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, state and federal scientists have yet to find any contaminated seafood.

This Tallahassee fish market was doing a brisk noontime business. Steve Pincus was buying shrimp.

“I have no problem and no concerns with the shrimp,” Pincus said.

Carol Driggers has been buying fish here every week.  Leak or no leak, she believes it’s safer and fresher than any alternatives.

“We don’t eat a lot of meat because you never know how it’s processed and what they’ve fed it and what have you,” Driggers said.

Manager Matt McCreless says the key has been communicating with his customers, which includes posting a map of open and closed waters near the cash register.

“Most of the fishing we do is right up in this area,” McCreless said. “So that’s what we do, that’s what we promote. That’s what we show our customers to give them confidence.”

Across town, Gail Fisher’s market has also been busy. She credits extensive testing.

“Actually, it’s never been more tested than it is right now,” Fisher said. “It’s very, very safe.”

The first test that is performed on every fish that is landed is the smell test to make sure there’s no hydrocarbons.

Tissue Samples are also being analyzed at state and federal labs.

“We extract what is in the fish and determine what they hydrocarbon or oil content is, if any would be,” Terry McElroy, spokesperson for the Dept. of Agriculture.

Reporter: And there has been none?

“There has been none,” McElroy responded.

The state has also been on TV in the Panhandle promoting seafood safety

So, between the testing and the promotion, the industry is hoping to lure back customers who have shied away from fresh seafood.

Legislative leaders may delay a special session to provide relief to gulf coast residents who have lost jobs and money because of the BP oil spill. A session was tentatively scheduled for September, but as Whitney Ray tells us, some high ranking state senators are starting now saying it could be November before they hold a session on helping Floridians hurt by the spill.

When lawmakers met in July for a special session on oil drilling, a vote was taken to go home with the promise to try to come in September, but with the leak capped and the oil disappearing the urgency may start waning.

Carol Dover the President of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association doesn’t want the pain her members are feeling to be forgotten.

“The perception is that if it gets cap then the oil just automatically goes away and all of our problems go away. I have to tell you, in fact, for us now its worse,” said Dover.

The story is the same when it comes to the environment. BP and the Feds say 75 percent of the oil has been collected, burned skimmed or eaten by microbes. Environmentalists say there is still a crisis.

“Clean up is going to take a long time and we are going to continue to see oil washing up on our beaches,” said Eric Draper with Audubon of Florida.

The changing status of the impact in the gulf is changing the way the state responds. The emergency operation center is now in just a partial activation mode, and there’s still no date set for a special session to help Florida fishermen, hotel owners, and people losing property value because of the spill.

September was the target lawmakers were shooting for, but now there are talks of waiting until November.

“If we can work out a deal were we can have a plan in place well get it done, but no later than organizational session in November,” said Incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

“The hope is that we’ll be able to get some resolution of those problems through either a special session or at the organizational session of the new legislature,” State Senator Don Gaetz said.

By holding a special session in November when the legislature is already scheduled to be in Tallahassee to reorganize after the election and swear in new members, lawmakers could save taxpayer money.

Florida’s House Speaker has organized workgroups to focus on six areas where the state could lend a helping hand. Those groups must submit their findings by the end of the month.

Florida Emergency workers are scaling back efforts in response to the BP oil spill. Today the EOC went from full activation to a level two activation mode. The scale back comes as BP and the Feds claim 75 percent of the 4 million barrels of oil spilled is gone, but many marine biologist don’t agree with those figures. They say the oil has just sunk under the surface and there’s still a threat facing sea life.

An estimated four million barrels of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico before the leak was capped. Now the oil appears to be disappearing. As Whitney Ray tells us, beach businesses looking for more advertising dollars and environmentalists who think the damage has been worse than predicted are afraid out-of-sight may mean out-of-mind for BP and the federal regulators sworn to hold BP accountable for every penny.

For many gulf coast residents, the bulk of the summer was spent waiting for oil to come ashore… and waiting for BP to cap its leaky well.

87 days later BP capped the well…. And some oil landed on Florida’s westernmost beaches. Today a majority of the estimated 4 million barrels of oil leaked from the well is gone… having been burned, skimmed and broken up by waves.

“I’m sure the bacteria is probably really working robust overtime right now and now that the oil is reducing it’s showing its benefits,” said DEP Secretary Mike Sole.

With the oil disappearing from the surface, the fear among beach businesses and environmentalists is that out of sight could mean out of mind… and BP won’t end up paying for all the damage its spill caused. Marine Biologist Jack Rudloe believes the bulk of the oil is still in the gulf.

“We’re talking about an ocean that’s a mile, two miles deep. There’s a whole heck of a lot of oil sitting down there that’s getting metabolized very very very slowly,” said Rudloe.

There’s also an ongoing battle to save the tourism industry. BP awarded seven million advertising dollars to seven Panhandle counties last week. Florida asked for 50.

“There’s some repair that needs to be done to the Florida brand and to some of our county brands with in the Florida brand so we certainly made that very clear to BP. They are aware of that situation,” said Chris Thompson, CEO of Visit Florida.

But as things return to normal on the surface, getting more out of BP may get harder.

It’s been a hundred days since oil began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico forcing an enormous response effort from BP, the state, and volunteers. Now the leak has been capped and the oil is dissipating. But as Whitney Ray tells us, the state is still fighting to get claims paid, bring in visitors, and sell Florida seafood.

The leak is capped but the state’s fight to attract tourists, help the fishing industry rebound and protect the coast still rages.

Florida’s Emergency Operations Center has been at a level one activation since June 2nd, and will remain so for the near future.

“Fortunately there’s not a lot of heavy oil offshore, but there still is tar balls, there’s some weathered oil,” said Phil Wieczynsk, with the Bureau of Emergency Response.

The oil slick is shrinking daily but still threatens wildlife. Biologists are moving panhandle sea turtle nests to keep the hatchlings from swimming into the oil.

There’s still a tourism crisis. On July 18th, Visit Florida ran out of money from BP for its fight to let travelers know Florida beaches are clean.

The tourism agency waits to see if BP will cough up more cash.

“The dollars are out so we are hoping BP will come back and grant the governor the additional 50 million dollars to help with that campaign,” said Will Seccombe with Visit Florida.

At the height of the crisis a third of the gulf was closed to fishing; now just a fourth is closed. The FDA and Florida Department of Agriculture have a mobile testing lab on standby in Tallahassee, ready to do onsite tests in areas where the oil once floated.

“The samples from those areas will be subjected to both the sensory testing as well as the lab analysis,” said Terry McElroy with the Department of Agriculture.

The major fear for environmentalists now is what’s out of sight is out of mind. While experts think the risk of large amounts of oil washing ashore is low, what’s going on underneath the surface could affect fish populations for decades.

The state legislature is working on legislation to help people who have lost business and property values because of the oil leak. They plan to meet in a special session in September and pass laws that would help ease the burden for those Floridians hit the hardest.

Environmentalist Reaction

In early May, biologists and environmental experts began to worry that the BP oil spill would impact the coast for decades to come. Today, 100 days later, things are getting better. The leak has been stopped. The oil slick is shrinking, and most experts believe no more large pools of oil will wash up on any Florida beaches. Despite the good news, Julie Wraithmell with Audubon of Florida, says this disaster isn’t over because the chemicals used to break up the oil, and the oil itself, have altered the food chain.

“At the same time we all breathed a huge sigh of relief to hear they got the flow under control, it doesn’t minimize the fact that there as been a lot of oil spilled and is going to persist in that system for a long period of time,” said Wraithmell.

Florida State University and other research groups were able to collect some samples of marine life, sand, and soil before the oil reached beaches, providing a baseline to compare future samples with.

It took months to deploy and now its taking just days to tear down. BP crews are removing millions of feet of protective boom from Florida’s coast as two tropical systems threaten the Panhandle. As Whitney Ray tells us, once the boom is gone, there’s no guarantee it’s coming back.

Flip a coin… heads the storms stay clear of Florida… tails and the panhandle is in for a rocky weekend. Those are the odds panhandle residents face with two tropical systems developing in the Gulf.

Oil disaster response crews aren’t taking any chances… they’re scaling back their efforts to protect our coast from the oil juggernaut just miles away… removing skimmers and millions of feet of boom.

“We don’t want the boom to be destructive to any of those natural resources. There’s huge heavy weights that hold those down, if those become loose they’re simply going to become projectiles in the water and do further damage,” said Dave Halstead, the interim director with the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Many coastal communities had to fight for weeks, some months, to get protection for their shorelines and once the boom is removed, there’s no guarantee it will be returned.

That’s just fine with Bill Wargo, who patrols the beaches at alligator point looking for sea turtle nests. When we rolled up to meet Bill, we spotted a dead sea turtle. Bill thinks this turtle was attacked by a shark… but even more turtles at Alligator Point have been killed by BP crews deploying and removing boom.

“They came in with their equipment and they tore up the beach getting them out. Tracks all over, they ran right over one of my nests. It was a Green Sea Turtle nest and they actually got their tires rutted into one of the nests,” said Wargo.

Casualties of an oil disaster still two hundred miles away. Bill Wargo is certified to properly handle dead sea turtles. He reported the findings to state and federal wildlife officials. He says about 12 dead turtles wash-up on the shores of Alligator Point every year.

Yesterday’s two hour special session that accomplished nothing, cost you the taxpayer an estimated 55-thousand dollars. That’s 16-thousand dollars more than the average Floridian makes in an entire year. As Whitney Ray tells us, both sides agree that the session was a waste of money, but no one wants to take responsibility.

They loaded onto planes, rented hotel rooms, and ate out on your dime; just to come to Tallahassee for a two hour special session. The state legislature was supposed to stay for four days, discuss a ban on offshore oil drilling and vote on putting the issue in front of voters in November. Instead they griped.

The actual cost of the legislative fiasco won’t be known for weeks, but early estimates suggest lawmakers spent 55-thousand dollars, to gavel in, ignore the issue, and go home. Most lawmakers traveled all that distance and spent all that money and didn’t even speak on the floor… They just kept their seat warm and pushed a button.

So who’s to blame? The legislature blames the governor for calling them back against their wishes.

“I think it’s a waste of money. We let the governor know we had no interest in banning something that’s already banned,” said State Senator Mike Haridopolos.

The governor blames the legislature.

“Well they almost got the chance to vote, but because of the legislature they didn’t,” said Crist.

But whoever’s at fault is irrelevant when the bill comes do, because the guilty party isn’t paying, you are. The 55-thousand dollars figure is only an estimate calculated from past special sessions. House staff thinks the brevity of this session may have lowered the cost below previous averages.

Dozens of clean energy advocates are riding home on buses tonight… with their hopes crushed and their faith in the system fleeting. It took the Florida House just 49 minute to adjourn without voting on a constitutional ban on offshore oil drilling. As Whitney Ray tells us, supporters of a ban are down but not out.

They rallied in the capitol with the governor by their side. They rallied outside surrounded by Democratic lawmakers. Their message clear. Their motivation; protecting the environment

“This is a sign of the times. This is a crossroads, right here. Either we do things right now or we go down hill,” said Gertrude Palmer as joined hands with other clean energy advocates.

200 people representing 14 environmental groups woke up before the sun, loaded onto busses and begged their elected officials to pass a ballot initiative that would let people vote for a constitutional ban on offshore oil drilling.

“It’s war. There’s so much going on here; raising awareness, getting hands together, joining people. Nobody wants oil,” said Karissa Berrera, who traveled from St. Petersburg to lobby for a drilling ban.

Their shouts could be heard across the capitol courtyard. And with their energy and hopes high the group then headed into the capitol to see what their elected official would do.

But the House never voted on the issue. Instead they voted to adjourn. Kim Ross the rally organizer was shocked.

“They just slapped the voters in the face. They said, we just spent your money to come up here and we are not going to do anything here,” said Ross.

Now the 200 environmentalists have a new goal; vote out the lawmakers that voted to go home. The group was also calling on lawmakers to pass clean energy tax credits. The issue was never discussed, but it could become part of a September Special Session, the House Speaker has committed to calling.

State lawmakers are gearing up for a short stay in Tallahassee. Tomorrow’s Special Session is scheduled to last four days, but as Whitney Ray tells us, legislative leaders, feuding with the governor, could use Tuesday to blast Charlie Crist, then go home.

It’s a simple issue immersed in politics. Governor Charlie Crist is asking lawmakers to let voters decide if a constitutional offshore drilling ban is needed.

“I’m here to announce that I’m calling a special session to ban offshore oil drilling in Florida waters,” said Crist when he called the session July 8th. .

But as soon as the special session call came down from the governor’s office, the gloves came off. Republican legislative leaders are accusing Crist of political grandstanding, because the state already has a drilling ban, and the issue doesn’t help people suffering from the BP spill.

They’re threatening to go home early. Democrats hope they don’t.

“If there’s a chance to vote. They should have their voices heard. If they don’t like the amendment, vote no, but they at least should have the opportunity to have their voice heard,” said Representative Ron Saunders.

The Special Session is scheduled to begin noon, Tuesday, and 30 minutes before it does, 400 clean energy advocates will be in the capitol courtyard, lobbying not only for a ban on offshore oil drilling, but also for tax credits for renewable energy. Kim Ross is organizing the rally.

“Then we intend to go watch our legislators in action. Let’s see if they’re going to take this seriously or not,” said Ross.

Missing from the argument is Republican lawmakers, many of whom don’t want a constitutional ban on drilling. We tried to interview the House Speaker as well as several other Republican lawmakers. We were told they were either traveling or too busy to talk about the issue.

Not all Republican lawmakers are going along with leadership’s plan. State Senator Paula Dockery is one of several members asking her party to give the constitutional ban a fair shake.