Anthony Russo: The Gulf Oil Spill & Steinhatchee

Before last week I have to admit, I had never heard of Steinhatchee. But now I will never forget it.

A small and quaint fishing community, Steinhatchee Florida is located in the "Big Bend" of Florida at the mouth of the Steinhatchee River, where the river flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It is about 90 miles south of Tallahassee, Florida and approximately 70 miles west of Gainesville, in Taylor County, Florida. Steinhatchee's location places it in the very heart of the Nature Coast. It was a small commercial fishing village where most of the residents have worked in the fishing or timber logging industry. While still small and quaint, commercial fishing in Dead Man's Bay has virtually halted due to the "Florida Net Ban" As such, most of the commercial fishing these days is done for Grouper off-shore in the Gulf of Mexico. Blue crabs, stone crabs and shrimp are still taken commercially by fishermen in the bay.

Recently, just a few short days from start of the annual scallop season, our law firm was invited to visit this beautiful place by a client who retained us to assist his family with the losses to their business and property in Steinhatchee due to the BP Oil Spill. What we found when we got there was a town of good natured people who welcome all newcomers with open arms.

But make no mistake, these residents are scared. Scared that the tourism they rely so heavily upon would be affected. Scared that their scallop season they take so much pride in would never open. But mostly scared that their quaint and beautiful town that one resident described as "only a place that existed in your imagination or in a Jimmy Buffet song," would become a Ghost Town if "The Oil" made it there.

The residents of Steinhatchee are no different than the other inhabitants of the hundreds of towns along the Gulf Coast. They all have one thing in common: they have already been affected by this disaster. Regardless of whether or not "The Oil" as the Steinhatchee residents now refer to the BP oil disaster, reaches the pristine shores of their beautiful town, these good folks have already suffered damages. If The Oil ever reaches their shores, the town will likely never recover!

This is the reality of BP's actions. This is "what you can't see unless you are here." And this is the reality of what is happening to the Gulf Coast. Much has been written about the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma that hit the Gulf Coast just a few short years ago. But that was a NATURAL disaster. Those that were hit hardest by Wilma have barely, if at all, recovered from that and now faced they are faced with a MAN MADE disaster that could have easily been avoided but for the reckless acts of big business and big oil.

Now, the entire Gulf Coast, arguably the most beautiful shores in the United States and maybe the world, face the probability of being ruined for decades to come. More importantly, its residents, some there for generations, must now contemplate a future without a habitable waterfront.

Having visited this special place, Steinhatchee and its residents will always have a unique place in our heart and we will fight for our good friends as long and as hard as we have to achieve justice on their behalf.

*If you have experienced hardship or loss due to the Gulf Oil Spill, contact Freedland Russo