If you see tar or oiled debris on the beach. DO NOT PICK IT UP.
Report it to 1-877-389-8932 (new number) or #DEP from a cell phone.

DO NOT TOUCH OILED OR INJURED WILDLIFE. Report it to 1-866-557-1401.

Everyone is advised to avoid contact with tar balls or oiled debris on the beaches.

(More Information)

• Weather - Showers and thunderstorms likely today, mainly after noon. Some storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy with a high near 89 degrees. South wind between 10 and 15 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 20 miles per hours. Chance of rain is 60 percent.
• For safety reasons, if lightning is in the area, crews will be unable to continue working.

• Perdido and Pensacola Passes - Pensacola Pass reported clear this morning. Small patch of tar balls and sheen reported in Perdido Pass.

• Incident Command reported 1,070 people ready for beach cleanup, weather permitting.

• Emergency Operations Center - At noon today, the EOC will go to a level 3 activation, which means operations will scale back to monitor the situation. In the event of a change in conditions, it will reactivate to a level 2. News release updates and beach reports will be generated if there are significant changes to the present conditions.
• Citizens Information lines will be transferred to an automated system at noon today. Residents calling in will hear options directing them to the property telephone number for assistance.
• Talk with the Experts - The public will have the opportunity to interact with experts and personnel engaged in response activities related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in an open house environment on Saturday, July 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton on Pensacola Beach (12 Via de Luna, Ballroom B). Learn about the various subjects such as beach cleaning, vessels of opportunity program, dispersants, wildlife handling, unified command structure and operations. Representatives from BP, U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be on hand.

• County staff are participating in daily meetings at the operations and planning sections of the new Escambia/Santa Rosa Branch at Bayou Chico. This is part of the command structure for Unified Command.
• Coast Guard established a 20-meter safety zone around all protective boom. This safety zone is intended to protect installation and maintenance of oil containment boom, response equipment and protection of the environment by limiting access to and through deployed boom.  If the vessel operators cannot abide by the 20-meter rule, they are required to be cautious and travel at safe speeds and a safe distance from the protective boom.  Violations can result in a civil penalty of up to a $40,000 fine and willful violations may result in a class D felony. . (More information)
• Unified Command has launched a new web portal- RestoreTheGulf.gov. The new site will provide news, information and operational updates.
• The Escambia County Health Department has posted an Oil Impact Notice for the Gulf beach waters in Escambia County, Florida. This notice will remain in place until Escambia County Gulf beaches are no longer impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This notice includes the beaches under the control of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the University of West Florida and Perdido Key Sate Park. (More Information)
• The Escambia County Health Department has release information on avoiding oil and tar on the beaches. (More Information).
• Please do not handle or walk through the tar balls and oil. This only spreads the product and makes cleanup more difficult.
• Cleaning stations have been placed next to the crossovers (between the crossovers and the roadways) to aid in the removal of tar and oil.
• County officials are currently working with Unified Command to establish recreational and commercial decontamination stations for vessels (boats and watercraft).
• “Hot shot” teams will respond to specific requests during the day as needed.
• Oil reports vary widely throughout the day as heat from the sun brings subsurface oil to the top, and cooler temperatures at night tend to cause it to sink below the surface.

• A fishing closure is in effect from the state line east to the Pensacola Beach water tower, extending nine nautical miles into the gulf. Catch and release recreational fishing is still allowed.

• Harvesting of fish is allowed east of the Pensacola Beach water tower.

• Escambia County has opened field offices on Pensacola Beach to assist in answering questions from the public and act as staging areas for the county monitoring teams. The Pensacola Beach field office will be located at 5 Via Deluna, Suite 8. The phone number is 934-6500.

• Pensacola Beach remains open for business.
• Pensacola Beach events and activities
• Pensacola Beach live web cam

• One to 5 percent remnant tar ball coverage with residual staining. New product (granular in size) still washing ashore.
• Cleanup crews were on the beach last night and crews working today as weather permits.

• Heavy equipment is being utilized on Perdido Key.  Work will continue as weather permits. 

• Escambia County has opened field offices on Perdido Key to assist in answering questions from the public and act as staging areas for the county monitoring teams. The Perdido Key field office will be located at 13578 Perdido Key Drive. The phone number is 791-6905.
• Perdido Key remains open for business.
• Perdido Key events and activities at www.visitperdidokey.com
• Perdido Key live web cam at www.visitperdidokey.com

• Events and activities for Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key are listed at www.visitpensacola.com.

• Report oiled shoreline to 1-877-389-8932 or #DEP from a cell phone.
• Report oiled wildlife to 1-866-557-1401.
• Citizen Information Line: 850-471-6600