Manatee seeks $68M for spill

Manatee County officials intend to apply for $68 million in funding for restoration projects connected to the 2010 BP oil spill.

The county is one of dozens in Florida that seeks money through the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. The council, from a federal law passed after the Deepwater Horizon spill, oversees a fund comprised of penalties and fines BP will pay for its role in the spill and its aftermath. Florida is one of five states represented in the council, along with Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Manatee County beaches weren't impacted directly by the spill, though some tourism businesses in the county lost customers. The list of potential projects the county applied for include land restoration work at Robinson Preserve in northwest Bradenton and Duette Preserve, in a rural eastern section of the county. Other projects are for water quality and improvement.