The Putrid Petro Smell has finally arrived in Tampa Bay!!

[FreeJG]

I went for a run yesterday, over the Dunedin Causeway and all seemed fine, still.

Last night, I get a swollen throat gland, worse today, headache, and sore neck. Today still irritated.

Tonight, we went out to a restaurant, and all seemed fine still. When we walked out just a few minutes ago, it was a little breezy, and the smell of fuel was in the air big time!!! My hubby insisted it was something about where we were...so now we have arrived home...get out and the air is the same. The paper today, said when the fuel smell arrived, we could have the symptoms that I am experiencing. The smell is right on time...they said tonight. We still may not get any devastation to this area, and we are all praying. But the "acrid" air would come. There were already dead birds on the beaches...they said we would see them as they try to leave the areas, and make it here only to finally die.

Well...the petro smell is here....and man it sure stinks!!!! I cannot run or bike outside now! Must exercise indoors now, with the weather here so beautiful. This is criminal. This is only the beginning, I'm sure.

[femmocrat]

1. Oh no.... that is absolutely terrible.

All the way to FL now..... :cry:

[Joe Bacon]

30. Well, when is the slick going to visit Rush?

If anyone deserves a visit from an oil slick, it would be the Pigboy!

[saigon68]

44. Welcome to Bush ameika

Its the smell of dirty money

[IndianaGreen]

2. This is a catastrophe of biblical proportions!

And since it will be months before the gusher is capped, oil could very well reach the Eastern seaboard by June!

[teach1st]

3. It just arrived in central Pinellas

It is not pleasant here in Pinellas Park. Drill, baby, drill.

[IndianaGreen]

6. There is a lot of Kool-Aid being fed to the Tampa media

CFO Alex Sink: 'Spill is 300 miles away'

PINELLAS COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Florida's Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink held a press conference Saturday morning, following a meeting with BP executive Keith Seilhan.

Sink spoke in St. Petersburg at 10:15 a.m., along with a tour of the St. Petersburg Incident Command Center at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute located at 100 8th Ave. SE.

She discussed key points to assist Floridians impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Sink emphasized that the spill is 300 miles away and has not impacted the Florida coast at this time.

"In terms of the impact of the oil spill -- we have seen none on the coast of Florida," said Sink. "We need to get our visitors assured that they can come and spend a wonderful vacation in Florida."

According to Sink, she has asked BP to fund a global media campaign to explain to tourists that the state is open for business, to consider fronting or advancing money on behalf of small businesses and coastal communities for interruption claims. She has also requested that the corporation hire Florida residents to assist in clean up efforts.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2010/5/8/616700.html?title=CFO+Alex+Sink:+'Spill+is+300+miles+away'

Don't worry, be happy! :eyes:

[NotThisTime]

7. What do the residents say when they here this on their local news and can smell the oil in the air?

I'm sorry that this is affecting in any way anyone in the Gulf, it shouldn't have happened in the first place :(

[flyarm]

9. It was reported last week on Tampa news that many many tourists were canceling vacations..

the economy is so bad in Fla..this will kill the state..so it seems..the Politicians are grasping at straws ( and lying??)..to try to hold on to tourists any way they can..as tourism is the biggest business in Fla!

Heck I live on the Gulf..it is my backyard and we had horrible smells last Sunday through Thursday.

And Black smoke over the Gulf waters. Heavy black smoke..it looked like a horrible storm over the gulf..but there wasn't a cloud in the sky..I posted about it last week here on DU.

And we had dead birds and fish on the beach..lots of dead birds by Wednesday.

[NotThisTime]

10. So residents do realize they're being lied to, what are their responses?

[flyarm]

16. Oh there is alot of anger..and fear..we have so many seniors..and no one knows what

the ramifications of the smells are..or what will happen to our coast..

It has been reported that the Tampa /Clearwater/ St Pete area may be spared because of our continental shelf..but I don't know anyone who believes that..there was alot of anger from environ folks..and they were supposedly going to ream Janet Napolitano a new one over the lies and the obstructions by BP..many are training in St Pete to save the wildlife..and BP has done nothing but lie and obstruct. And time is of the essence in saving the animals and marine life.

[MadMaddie]

36. How is it Napolitano's fault that BP lied out theire asses?

Salazar's department needs to be examined as to why BP and other companies got passes.

[flyarm]

46. She is not at fault..that is not what I said..but she was going to be hearing from the Environ

their anger at BP..She was coming to Fla and they were going to ream her about being told they have to follow directions from BP..she was coming to meet with State people and the environ folks were going to let her know in no uncertain terms that they are done taking orders from the SOB's who caused this disaster because BP has done nothing but given them the run around...and obstructed this who are trying to save the wildlife.

[seabeckind]

32. Here ya go folks, don't pass up this opportunity

We have shit sandwiches on sale this week. Not only tasty but good for you, too. Don't look at it as shit, look at it as pre-digested food ... somebody else has already done the job so your intestine doesn't have to.

:sarcasm:

I feel so sorry for you. And for all of us.

[Hubert Flottz]

31. I lived in Pinellas county for a while...

This is a sad thing. I wish you all the best of luck down there.

[WCGreen]

4. And so it begins...

[HughMoran]

5. Uggh, that's awful

:(

[flyarm]

8. we had it last week in in Clearwater ..and the smell went all the way down the coast to Ft Meyers!

it was even reported on Tampa news..it first smelled like rotten onions/B.O. rotten smell....then turpentine..

people were calling into the news stations by the hundreds...from Clearwater to Ft Meyers...with eyes watering..and sore throats..I smelled the rotten Onion smell for almost 2 days ,,then 2 days of turpentine smell.

It's a damn shame...and disgrace what is happening to our Gulf.

[SalviaBlue]

12. Did it go away or did you get used to it?

I'm thinking that BP is banking on people learning to live w/ it.

[flyarm]

14. it went away..the winds changed and began blowing from the south..

for several days..it all depends on the wind direction!!

[merh]

15. depending on the winds, the smell will "go away"

When it is humid and the air has that heavy feel and the winds out of the south, you can definitely smell it and it sort of clings. And no, you cannot get used to it. Well, I know I can't.

[flyarm]

17. yeah ..you are up north..so the south winds hurt you..I am south of it so if the wind is coming from

the north then we get it..the wind coming from the south blows the smells and smoke away from us.

And I agree..the smell we had was so rotten..it smelled like someone was cooking the rottenest Onions or such bad BO..then it changed to smell like chemicals..like turpentine..

I guess if you liek the smell of really rotten onions..you could get used to it..but meeee..nooooooooooooo..

it was horrible..but i got really concerned when it smelled like chemicals..I kept everything closed up..and tried to stay indoors as much as possible...it burned my eyes and throat.

Who knows how dangerous it is?? It was treated pretty neutral by our local news..they just reported that the smell went from Clearwater/Tampa to Ft Meyers.

I worried about our senior population..

But when the smell was there..two days later a bunch of dead birds came onto our shoreline..and dead fish..

And I am very far below the leak..on Clearwater Beach..

I think Merh ..you are much closer..??

stay safe Lady!!:hi: :hug:

[lunatica]

11. This is just so crushingly sad

A crime. A deliberate crime for profit.

[Frances]

13. Anyone here from Pensacola?

What's it like there?

[FreeJG]

18. Then nooze reported nothing on smells....

At 11 they said Pensacola was getting "wind" and the smell is that of kerosene. Well, that is exactly what it is like here still tonight, as the clouds are still blowing east. I'm in Clearwater at it still wreaks outside. They cannot "bank" on us living with the smells. It's very irritating.

I already read the oil was 200 miles out. So Sink needs to check her info.
And they did have 10 cancellations in St. Pete yesterday at hotels. So they are very worried and are pushing PR campaigns before we even realize the impact, it is too early. The oil is still oozing...

The news is definately not reporting everything...because they HARDLY talk about it. Must be because they want to control the propaganda. Tell us what they want us to know. After smelling this all night, and NOTHING on the news, I don't trust them with any aspect of reporting on this "spill". Our Earth is hemorrhaging.

[SpiralHawk]

27. Republicon owned corporate media is clamming up

about corporate-caused mass destruction.

[RedCappedBandit]

19. You're right. That is criminal.

What really gets me is knowing that we are all going to foot the bill, even if BP is made to 'pay'.

[progressoid]

20. So sorry.

I was on the gulf side of FL a couple years ago. I don't even want to think about it now.

[reggie the dog]

21. I was planning on going to cape coral in july

I guess i will go to california instead

[FreeJG]

22. Please wait to see what happens here....it's still all up in the air. Literally!

The winds have changed today...wind now blowing West away from here...but the skies are not clear.
The paper shows the spill growing in size of course to be expected by tomorrow, Monday.

[reggie the dog]

47. grandpa is in cape coral

a cousin i have not seen in too long is in california...... perhaps the oil smell will push grandpa back up to chicago this summer????

[amborin]

23. Sorry for all who are suffering!

and the poor wildlife, both on shore and in the water! just horrifying

[northernlights]

24. I'm so sorry

I can only imagine being trapped down there. I guess I'd be training to try to save as much wildlife as possible.

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[Dappleganger]

25. Looks like we're fucked.

Imagine all the poor land and sea critters who have to breathe that.

:banghead:

[flamingdem]

26. Sounds horrible, unbelievable that the fumes can reach that far nt

[AnArmyVeteran]

28. I hope Rush Limblah's waterfront property in Florida reeks of oil...

I don't wish any harm to the environment, but if the oil has to go somewhere, I hope it ends up by Limblah's mansion so he is forced to smell it 24 hours a day. And if there are animals killed by Limblah's soulless corporate buddies, I hope he has to smell the stench of their rotting corpses.

Anyone want to bring back public dunking as a form of punishment? Dunking all those right wing, soulless bastards would still be too good for them.

[marions ghost]

29. There are a lot of Republicons on the Florida coast

who have waterfront property. As long as the disaster's happened already, it's not wrong to hope it impacts them IMO. Because how else do you get them to wake up? They are so clueless. Just the other day an intelligent Republicon I know insisted that "global warming isn't real." They are believing the spin in a big way.

Yes, I want them to see it and feel it--those who think they "own" the coast. x(

[AnArmyVeteran]

33. When gas was 4 bucks a gallon Limblah laughed and said...

that he was going to go to the nearest dealership and buy five cars with the worst gas mileage. He laughed off the pain and suffering being felt by people who weren't millionaires. But why do his loyal listeners continue to listen to him and believe him? Are they that brain dead?

[marions ghost]

34. brainwashed

Right-wingers want to believe that everything is simple & all problems are minor. It's the reassuring voice of authority and certainty that appeals. Just believe in the "us vs them" rhetoric and vent on those who are defined as the enemy. Just follow the rules...

These right-wingers are scandalized by Heaven's Gate and Jim Jones, and yet don't see that in following Rush & co. they are similar--puppets manipulated by a cult leader.

Very dangerous situation--the continuing polarization of America.

[AnArmyVeteran]

42. I have long thought the right wing is a cult, exactly like religious cults..

All the signs are identical..

[awoke_in_2003]

35. "Are they that brain dead?"

Yes. I have been around a lot of his listeners, and NONE of them can think for themselves.

[chillspike]

38. HAHA, that would be so sweet if rush limbaugh had to breath that in

[AnArmyVeteran]

43. But I wonder: Would the stench from his own body overpower even that of foul crude?

[FreeJG]

40. Karl Rove has a home near Panama Bch in the panhandle....and they're getting it

[flvegan]

37. My mom in Lakeland said she can smell it now and then.

Yes...Lakeland.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. :^( I am so sorry.

[felinetta]

41. Fuck all the greedy bastards!

[ZombieHorde]

45. Very creepy. nt

[kentuck]

48. The canary in mine.

Thank you.