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BP opens local claims offices (PHOTOS)
BP PLC claims offices in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties are open.
Claims adjusters manned the phones Saturday at offices in Fort Walton Beach and Midway as local businesses called to file claims. Another office in Santa Rosa Beach is expected to open this week.
See Saturday's photos of workers cleaning oil off a pelican »
Check out the latest photos of oil washing up on gulf coast beaches »
View the latest photos from BP »
The offices are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
People can walk in to file claims, but BP asks them to call the claims hotline at 1-800-440-0858 to expedite the process, said BP spokeswoman Liz Castro. After the initial call, a claims adjuster is supposed to call back in 48 to 72 hours.
People filing claims must produce paperwork determined by the adjuster. Businesses are being asked to provide income records from 2008 to the present.
As of Saturday, BP PLC had paid out $306,000 in claims in Florida since oil started gushing April 20 after the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, Castro said.
Baker Clark, owner of the Best Western Navarre, said he filed a claim about a week-and-a- half ago.
“It looks like we’re tracking right now to be 45 percent off last year, and last year wasn’t a good year, either,” Clark said.
Clark said he’s had to change some of his employees’ hours. He said he’s also worried about the last two weeks of May, which is usually when business picks up.
Clark said he’s spoken with BP several times and is in the process of gathering paperwork for his claim. He said BP has been responsive — so far.
“It may change when it gets time to write a check,” Clark said.
Kevin Almodovar owns Surfside Beach Service, which sets up umbrellas and beach chairs for resorts on Okaloosa Island. He said he’s had two college students who work over the summer call, but he’s been unable to put them on the payroll.
Almodovar filed a claim about a week ago and has yet to hear back from an adjuster.
He said insurance adjusters “flood” the area after hurricanes, and said BP is “acting way too slow” in comparison.
“That they don’t have the resources is a blatant lie,” Almodovar said.
Castro said BP will honor claims for loss of profit or loss of employment. She wasn’t sure about the eligibility of businesses indirectly impacted by the oil spill, such as a marketing company that contracts with a resort. But Castro said she urges people to file claims for indirect impacts to see if they qualify.
She also said she wasn’t sure whether employees who work on commission would be eligible, but urged people to call the claim number if they are unsure.
“It’s kind of hard to give you a blanket answer because everyone’s claim is a little different,” Castro said.
BP PLC claims offices
Santa Rosa - 5668 Gulf Breeze Parkway, No. 9, Midway
Okaloosa - 348 SW Miracle Strip Parkway, Suite 13, Fort Walton Beach
Walton - 5008 U.S. Highway 98, Units 6 and 7, Santa Rosa Beach
Claims hotline - 1-800-440-0858
