Florida Releases July 28, 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Situation Update...

Source: Governor of Florida Posted on: 28th July 2010

On July 28 NOAA shows the BP oil plume 60 miles from Pensacola and 140 miles from Panama City.

While NOAA oil trajectories forecast oil patches to remain well south and west of Florida, with no direct oil impacts through at least Friday, scattered tarball fields already nearshore may continue to be carried onshore along the Panhandle coast.

Winds and currents may also push pockets of light sheen or tarmats eastward and the uncertainty line for possible oil extends east to around 25 miles south of Perdido Key by Friday. Offshore, no oil has been observed within or moving towards Eddy Franklin for over 4 weeks and there is no clear path for oil to enter the Florida Straits.

Winds over Florida waters are expected to be out of the northwest in the morning, shifting out of a general west direction in the afternoon from Wednesday through Friday. Winds should be 15 knots or less within 60 miles of the coastline each day, with waves less than 3 feet.
Mostly dry conditions are expected for much of the Panhandle today, though a few isolated afternoon showers will be possible over eastern areas. Rain chances will begin to increase again on Thursday and Friday to around 30-40% each day through the weekend.

Heat indices will be near 100-105 degrees along the shoreline through the next several days, though some isolated areas may reach as high as 108.

Also, significant tropical activity is not expected through Thursday.

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Solar-Powered Schools in Florida's Future

Solar-Powered Schools in Florida's Future

By UCF Staff
Feb. 18, 2010

The Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida's Cocoa campus will administer a $10 million state program to install solar energy systems on 90 public schools.
The SunSmart Schools E-Shelters (Emergency Shelters) program, unveiled this week by Gov. Charlie Crist, is expected to boost Florida’s clean energy sector by providing job opportunities to local installers and vendors. The grant money will come from federal economic stimulus funds.
The solar electric systems, also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems, will provide power during outages, offset electricity costs to the school during normal operations and reduce greenhouse gases.

“Not only will these systems provide a vital energy resource to an emergency shelter,” said Bill Young, the SunSmart technical manager at FSEC, “they will also provide noise-free power with no air pollution or fuel supply issues.”

Nearly 800 schools in Florida are designated as Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA) shelters. The selection process will be highly competitive. Schools will be selected based on demographics, emergency shelter needs, partnerships and existing renewable energy education and outreach plans.

“The SunSmart School and E-Shelters program will help protect our environment for future generations,” Crist said. “Educating Floridians and utilizing energy efficient technologies will strengthen our economy by increasing Florida's energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” Teachers and students alike will benefit from the systems. Energy curriculum workshops for teachers will be provided, and students -- as well as the public -- will be able to analyze the performance data that will be uploaded to http://www.energywhiz.com/. The program will also provide operation and maintenance workshops for facility managers.

Each participating school will receive a 10-kilowatt solar energy system with a battery back-up -- complete with installation. The system will provide enough power for critical energy needs such as lighting, communications and essential medical equipment.

“Our goal is to have PV systems spread throughout the state, ideally at least one SunSmart E-Shelter in every county,” said Susan Schleith, SunSmart program manager.
Those interested in participating in the program should visit www.fsec.ucf.edu/go/sunsmart for more information.

Department Partners With Waitrose Stores To Promote Florida Pink Grapefruit In England

Shoppers in England will have the opportunity to “taste the warmth of Florida sunshine” during January and February when Florida pink grapefruit are featured in 220 Waitrose stores in and around London. The promotion builds upon a multiyear marketing relationship between Waitrose and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

“We are very happy to again partner with Waitrose so that shoppers can enjoy Florida’s world-famous pink grapefruit,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said. “In addition to helping brighten the winter for many Londoners, the increased sales generated by this retail marketing campaign will be good news for Florida’s growers.”

As part of the Waitrose promotion, the upscale chain will feature in-store product signs produced by the department touting the theme “Taste the Warmth of Florida Sunshine.” Recipe cards for Florida pink grapefruit will also be available to Waitrose shoppers. In addition, the Florida pink grapefruit promotion will be featured in a half-page ad in “Waitrose Magazine.”
The promotion was originally planned for the month of January, with FDACS providing marketing and advertising dollars. However, Waitrose marketing executives decided to extend the promotion through February, absorbing all costs for the second month, to help maximize the exposure of the Florida pink grapefruit marketing initiative.