THE BALDWIN SOLUTION: Actor demonstrates oil vacuum in South Walton (PHOTOS)

Actor Stephen Baldwin says it’s a little odd to be him.

It seems that everywhere he shows up, folks want to know “What are you doing here?”

The actor, who was at South Walton’s Tourist Development Council building Monday, said it’s a personal issue for him.

“I am asked, ‘What are you doing getting involved with cleaning up the beaches of South Walton?’ I am scratching an itch,” said Baldwin. “I looked at the problem and asked, ‘Why don’t we have a solution?’ I don’t want to look at a problem and say, ‘Why doesn’t somebody do something?’ I have been severely disappointed that things weren’t getting done, so, I did something.”

Baldwin was at the TDC to demonstrate a way to clean oil from South Walton’s beaches that he believes is more effective than anything that has been tried up till now.

To see more photos of Baldwin at the beach, click here.

The method basically works like a large vacuum cleaner, sucking up debris from the sand and storing it in a large truck until dumped.

To demonstrate, Baldwin took county officials and the media out on the beach Monday afternoon and used the vacuum to suck up brownie mix and muffins that had been strategically placed on the beach.

The system is owned by Borco hydro-excavation vacuum service based in Houston.

State Representative Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed from Broward County was also on hand for the demonstration.

As opposed to the typical BP-contracted cleanup crew, the vacuum can clean 200,000 square feet of beach, which amounts to doing four times the work with one-fourth the labor.

“This is a far greater amount than what is being done now,” said Blake Cody, who would head up the operation in South Walton.

The equipment has already been used for the past several months in Louisiana.

To oversee the beach cleanup operation, Baldwin founded Thunder Response Group as a first line of defense.

This is not the star’s first visit to South Walton. He previously worked with the Torchlight Film Series to bring more interesting cinematic opportunities to the area.  

“I love Florida. I vacation here. I have friends here and have done ministry work here,” he said. “I’m here today because TRG is going to be a part of finding a solution to make a difference. We intend to shine some light on a situation and we think we have the technology here to keep the beaches safe and clean.”

Baldwin admits he uses his celebrity status as a tool to open doors.

“This is the next phase for me,” he said.

As for who would pay for this, Baldwin said the cost and payment options have not been finalized.

“Who would pay would be a question for local government,” he said.

However, Cody said there would be no cost to the county, as the cost would fall to BP. He also said if the county OKs Borco’s use, the labor force used would be local.

“This is a common sense logical thing. Because of the tide, you already have layers of oil under the sand. When more oil comes up on your beach, we have a solution,” said Baldwin.

The star recently spent several weeks in the Gulf States producing his new documentary, “The Will to Drill,” which is currently in production. Baldwin describes the film as a non-partisan exploration of the events that transpired leading up to the explosion and all that continues to transpire.

For more information on Borco visit www.borcotexas.com.