BP oil spill skimmers. Photo credit University of West Florida

With a tentative $18.7 billion settlement announced this month that brings an end to litigation regarding the fines and penalties BP will pay for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the focus now turns to how that money will be spent.

Santa Rosa County – which, along with Escambia and six other Florida counties, is singled out as “disproportionately impacted” by the spill – expects to receive $4.3 million in the first round of funding plus $24 million over the next 15 years for a total of $28.3 million in direct funding from the settlement.

County Commissioner Lane Lynchard is heading Santa Rosa’s Local RESTORE Council, the local body charged with overseeing provisions of the federal RESTORE Act. Passed in 2012, the RESTORE Act directs how the penalties and fines related to the spill under the Clean Water Act are to be spent.

“I am glad that there is a settlement pending, so that we can move forward with completing some of the crucial environmental projects that will in time make a tremendous improvement in our water quality,” Lynchard said.

“However, as has been pointed out by some environmental groups, the Clean Water Act fines assessed were at the low end of the range. As with any settlement, there is a give and take. Given the amounts involved, the local governments and states on the Gulf will be able to complete environmental projects and water quality projects that would otherwise have gone unfunded.”

Anticipating the first round of funding, Santa Rosa has received project proposals falling into four categories: environment, economic (with sub categories of job creation and workforce development), infrastructure and tourism.

The Santa Rosa Local Restore Council has met twice and selected 15 projects to move forward with creating a multi-year implementation plan. Once the plan is developed, it will be presented it to the County Commission for approval, followed by a 45 day public comment period before being sent to the U.S. Treasury Department for final acceptance.

“The Santa Rosa Local Restore Council has consistently stated the need to invest in projects that will provide a lasting and meaningful impact to the county,” Lynchard said. “This is an opportunity to complete projects that will improve our environment, waters and economy for years to come, and we have to look for projects that will measure success over decades, not just the coming few years.”

The 15 projects in the first round of proposals include:

• — Successful Re‐Entry: Job Skills Training & Placement program, seeking a $250,000 RESTORE grant, with a total project cost of about $1 million.
• — Navarre Park Water Quality Enhancement, seeking a grant of $387,000, with a total cost of $759,000.
• — Dirt road paving in various areas of the county, seeking a grant of $525,000, with a total of cost of about $1.2 million.
• — Driftwood, Navy Cove, Berry Stormwater Improvements in Gulf Breeze, seeking a grant of $356,540 out of total cost of $719,000.
• — Floridatown Water Quality Enhancement, seeking a $241,000 grant out of $488,000 total.
• — Rattlesnake Bluff Road Sedimentation Reduction, seeking a $124,200 grant out of the $479,200 total project cost.
• — The Gulf Coast Discovery Center, and expansion of the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station, seeking a grant of $265,000, the total cost of the design phase of the project.
• — Blackwater Heritage State Trail Infrastructure Improvements, seeking a grant of $40,330 out of the total cost of $70,408.
• — Quinn Street Marina in Milton, seeking a grant of $504,850 out of total cost of about $1 million.
• — Pensacola East Bay Oyster Restoration, seeking a grant of $300,000 out of the total $325,000 cost.
• — Eufaula Street Outfall Treatment in Gulf Breeze, seeking a grant of $130,000 of the total $260,000 cost.
• — Entrepreneurship Academy at Pace High School, seeking a $29,000 grant, with a total cost of $77,500.
• — Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society Historical Walking Tour, seeking a grant of $160,987 out of a $1.2 million total cost.
• — Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park Restoration, seeking a grant of $58,948 out of a $85,951 total.
• — Post Secondary Career & Tech Education Program at Locklin Tech, seeking a grant of $368,000 out of a $478,500 total cost.

Santa Rosa plans to submit the final proposals to the Treasury Department in January 2016, initiating the individual grants that spring, and moving forward with contracts and project implementation next summer.

“From all reports the settlement should be finalized within the next few months,” Lynchard said. “I would anticipate that we will follow the same basic procedure in future updates of a multiyear implementation plan. We will also be able to look back over the process we used to date in order to further refine and improve our ranking and selection criteria.”

The RESTORE settlement represents only the most recent funding to come Santa Rosa’s way following the oil spill.

In April 2011, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council announced an agreement under which BP committed to provide $1 billion toward implementation of early restoration projects.

Nine such projects have a direct or indirect impact on Santa Rosa County. Four of those are within Santa Rosa:

• — Navarre Beach Park Gulfside Walkover Complex, $1.2 million
• — Gulf Breeze Wayside Park Boat Ramp, $309,669
• — Escribano Point Enhanced Recreational Opportunities, $2.5 million
• — Navarre Beach Park Coastal Access and Dune Restoration Project, $614,630

Five regional projects have an indirect impact on Santa Rosa:

• — Florida artificial reef creation and restoration, $1.5 million for Santa Rosa specific project
• — Restoring the Night Sky (sea turtle lighting project for six Panhandle counties), $4.3 million
• — Enhanced Management of Avian Breeding Habitat Injured by Response Activities for coastal areas of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, $4.6 million
• — Scallop Enhancement for Increased Recreational Fishing Opportunity in the Florida Panhandle (seven counties), $3 million
• — Florida Oyster Clutch Placement (four counties), $5.3 million