Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is presently set to become the most devastating oil spill in United States history, far surpassing that of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Eleven rig workers are presumed dead and seventeen others were reported injured. In addition to these tragically unnecessary deaths and injuries, this accident will unleash untold environmental and economic havoc upon vast portions of the Gulf Region, including Florida. The Deepwater Horizon spill is currently spewing roughly 200,000 to 1,000,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico per day, and recent reports by concerned Florida academics and scientists indicate that the BP and the Coast Guard are understating the amount of oil being spilled each day by as much as five times.

While the United States Government has named BP as a responsible party in this incident, there are other potentially responsible parties such as Transocean, Haliburton Energy Services, Inc., Cameron International Corporation and Transocean Ltd. From information gathered thus far it appears that all these companies may have acted negligently, and will bear some legal responsibility for damages to Florida citizens and businesses alike.

The following are some key facts about the economy of the Gulf Region, which serve to highlight the incalculable damages Floridians and Florida businesses stand to suffer:

• The Gulf of Mexico accounts for roughly 33% of the seafood caught in the United States
• The fishing industry has an annual economic impact of $116 billion
• The fishing industry supports 1.1 million jobs and generates roughly $30 billion in wages and $7.5 billion in tax revenues each year.
• According to the National Marine Fisheries Services US Shrimp landings were valued at roughly $440 million in 2008
• According to VisitFlorida, the state's quasi-public tourism agency, tourists spent $65.2 billion in 2008 making tourism one of Florida's top industries

Florida parties that are likely to be affected by this terrible disaster include, but are not limited to:

• Fishermen
• Fishing Charters
• Hotels
• Diving Companies
• Beach Front Property Owners and Business Owners
• Individuals who have been injured due to this disaster

The Ferraro Law Firm has been representing victims of environmental disasters in Florida and other states for over 25 years and we are here to assist any affected parties related to this horrible disaster. If you, your loved one, or your business has been harmed by this oil spill, you are urged to contact The Ferraro Law Firm as soon as possible so that your legal rights can be protected.

Call us at 305-375-0111 or toll free at 1-800-275-3332 to speak with one of our attorneys directly. You can also submit a contact form that is located on the right side of this page and one of our attorneys will contact you immediately.