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Help may be on the way for businesses hurt economically by last summers oil leak in the Gulf. Legislation by State Senator Don Gaetz (Gates) cleared the first of three hurdles in the state Senate this morning to make sure the impact of any future spill is minimized. It directs the Governor’s office of Tourism, trade, and Economic Development to help NW Florida. Gaetz is also trying to make sure the panhandle gets the biggest benefit from any settlement cash.

“It directs OTTED to provide a series of economic incentives to companies that want  to come to Northwest Florida from other states, so that we can diversify our economy. More over, the bill sets up a state policy that says when fine and settlement dollars come through the federal government from BP, that seventy-five percent of that money will be spent in coastal northwest Florida and twenty five percent of it would be spent elsewhere, rather than the other way around.”

The legislation also provides ten million dollars for marketing the panhandle to out of state tourists…and keeping the cash in the bill may be its sponsors biggest challenge given tight state revenues.