May 20, 2013
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The public has a chance to submit ideas for projects that would be funded by money Florida will get from penalties stemming from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The state's Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold two public meetings and a webinar to present the state's priorities for the funding and to seek information on projects residents would like to see included.
The webinar will be held Tuesday. One public meeting will be held Thursday in Panama City, and the other is March 13 in St. Petersburg.
The money is coming to Florida through last year's RESTORE Act. The law directs most of the oil spill penalties to Gulf Coast projects dealing with environmental and economic restoration.
