'THE NATURE OF THE BEAST': After low impact weekend, city ponders uncertain future (PHOTOS, CNN VIDEO and TRAJECTORY FORECAST)

City Manager Greg Kisela said predicting the path of the oil spill and setting a timetable for further impact in Destin is nearly impossible.

“I have heard anywhere from 48 hours to 72 hours,” he said after Monday’s City Council meeting. “But I also heard that the middle of last week — it’s just so hard to tell.”

Kisela, who has spent hours a day on the phone with county and state officials, added that it’s “very frustrating” not knowing “the nature of the beast” and exactly what to tell people when asked about a potential impact. He said much of Destin’s charter fishing fleet has been converted into “Vessels of Opportunity” that are out in force patrolling the waters off Destin, with captains and mates keeping their eyes open for tar balls, tar mats, or oil sheen.

According to trajectory forecasts from NOAA, impacts on area beaches are expected in the next couple of days, but into the weekend shifting winds may push the slick offshore back toward Louisiana.

To see Tuesday's photos from ground zero in Louisiana, click here.

As Destin and its seven miles of sugar white beaches are held hostage by a continually growing mess, government officials have reported a gradual increase in the amount of oil being captured from the spewing well at the bottom of the Gulf.

The news from BP didn’t do much to reassure city officials, as some pebble-sized tar balls washed ashore in Henderson Beach State Park over the weekend. Photos of unconfirmed tar mats near Henderson Beach also found their way to The Log on Monday as reports placed sheen 10 miles from Destin’s coastline.

 “We are not even 100 percent certain they are part of the oil spill,” he noted. “They may be axle grease, or even asphalt.”

He added that there are a lot of things floating in the Gulf, and assessment teams have been out to test the tar balls, which would confirm whether or not they came from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

“There is nothing on the beaches that has given them any heartburn,” he said of the collection crews, “or any health issues that would cause them to close the beach.”

In fact, area beaches were booming over the weekend as occasional cleanup crews wound their way around beachgoers sitting under colorful umbrellas.

One thing Kisela did want to reassure residents is that the city has learned a lot of lessons from what has transpired in Louisiana.

Kisela told the Log that the main thing that has been learned from the tragedy not too far to our west is that skimmers cannot pick up the tar mats that are floating in the water, saying “they have been letting the material hit the beaches and then scraping it up.”

“The county has looked at what they have done there, and we are really going to benefit a lot from what they learned,” he said. “We are not going to be trying methods that have already failed.”

The biggest point of dissent Kisela has with BP’s plan is the fact that they are worried more about the “heavy oil,” and the city wants to focus on the tar balls and oil sheen that may come ashore.

“Instead of letting the oil hit our beaches, they can be a little more proactive and intercept it,” he said. “It is not terribly complicated to clean it up if it hits our beaches, but we would rather it not hit the beach. Period.”

At Monday’s City Council meeting, the council voted to meet once a week instead of fortnightly. For a play by play from the meeting and live updates from the city's visioning session, click here.

It was also announced that Mayor Sam Seevers was appointed to serve on the Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force by Gov. Charlie Crist.

“The immediate mission of the task force is to protect the economic security of the businesses and families in the coastal counties impacted by this unfortunate incident. They are our highest priority,” Gov. Crist said in a press release.

The 28-member task force will work with BP and state agencies to assess the economic impact of the oil spill and secure financial assistance as needed.

“I am pretty honored, honestly,” Mayor Seevers said when asked about the appointment. “I will tell you what, I am excited about the fact that a small city like Destin will be represented in such a big game.”

Seevers, who will join Walton County TDC director Dawn Moliterno on the panel, said she “hopes to share the real life scenario about how this is impacting the people in our city, and how people are actually fearful for their economic livelihood.”

“This is such a big deal,” she said. “I am looking forward to the opportunity.”

THE LATEST FORECAST

In his Tuesday blog, Weather Underground expert Jeff Masters says models "are not predicting eastward-moving ocean currents along the Florida Panhandle coast this week, and it is unlikely that surface oil will affect areas of Florida east of Fort Walton Beach.

Long range forecasts for the period 8 - 14 days from now "show a southeasterly wind regime, which would prevent any further progress of the oil eastwards along the Florida Panhandle, and would tend to bring significant amounts of oil back to the shores of eastern Louisiana next week," he wrote.

For his full forecast, click here.

A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE

Local BP gas stations: ‘Please, don't boycott us'

Florida Cabinet, BP lock horns as VP testifies

Oil spill to cost Florida billions and jobs

CNN ON LOCATION IN DESTIN: City manager to appear on Anderson Cooper 360 (PHOTOS)

'THIS WILL BE CONTAINED': Cap collecting more oil as slick extends reach (PHOTOS and LIVE FEED)

To learn more about the situation in Walton County, click here.

DEP IN DESTIN: Henderson Beach becomes command center for state response

BOOMDOGGLE? Coast Guard says East Pass boom requires a redo (PHOTOS)

SNAPPER MATH: One plus one equals one as fish keep coming in (CATCH-OF-THE-DAY PHOTOS)

To see photos of Monday's cleanup on Navarre Beach, click here.

'VERY MINOR': Beaches from Okaloosa Island to Walton County see finger-nail sized impact from oil (WEEKEND UPDATE with PHOTOS)

To see what other media have been saying about Destin, click here.