Oil free beaches welcome vacationers

PENSACOLA BEACH, Florida (WALA) - Pensacola Beach officials are urging folks to come and take a visit. They say people around the country think the beach is covered in oil, and that's far from the case. Beach officials say the last time a large amount of oil washed up was about three weeks ago.

On Monday afternoon the beach was absolutely gorgeous. You would've never thought that there was any oil. And people there feel that's a message that needs to get out.

The water was clear and the beach was inviting. Local officials say it's been that way for weeks, and the public needs to realize that.

"Hotels are down because of the publicity," Buck Lee with the Santa Rosa Island Authority said.

Bruce Parris, general manager of the beach-side restaurant 'The Dock' said his restaurant has received dozens of calls a week from folks asking about the oil.

"People come out, look at our beaches and say, 'where did you hide the oil? We don't see the oil!'" Parris said.

Parris says business is down and local hotels are about 50 percent filled.

The Blue Angels show helped, providing a much-needed spike in tourist dollars, but some people here feel the public needs to hear some more positive news from the area.

"The only good thing about this whole media blitz is people finally know where Pensacola is. Across the nation, they didn't know if we were next to Daytona or next to Miami," Lee said.

Lee admits that oil could wash up again, and if it does, the Santa Rosa Island Authority will make sure its cleaned up.

He also feels it's important to spend some advertising dollars to get it through to people that Pensacola Beach is clean, the water is beautiful, and people are welcome to come over.