Many Florida residents affected by BP spill have not been compensated

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam testified before a U.S. Senate hearing that many residents who suffered from the BP oil spill have yet to be compensated.

Putnam and a group of Panhandle fishermen and business owners testified July 11 before the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing in Pensacola.  

Even though laboratory results demonstrate that almost 90 percent of Gulf of Mexico seafood samples have no trace of oil contamination, over 65 percent of people are skeptical about the safety, Putnam testified. Because of this skepticism of food safety, fishermen, boat operators, seafood distributors and processors, hotels and restaurants are still suffering, he said.

Earlier this month, BP tried to stop payouts for future losses other than for oyster harvesters. It issued a 29-page document supporting paying "legitimate" claims while objecting to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility "practice of assuming future losses on certain claims."

Source: Insurance Journal.com