BP Opens Escrow Fund, But Claims Process Is Confusing

BP is one step closer to settling up its bill for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Today, the company and the Department of Justice completed negotiations over the $20 billion escrow fund to compensate the spill’s victims for their losses, and BP made an initial $3 billion deposit into the account.

As one of our sister publications, The Florida Independent, is reporting, however, on the ground, affected businesses are still having a hard time navigating the claims process:

Many businesses in Florida continue to face delays, and their owners are still finding their pleas for cash met with requests for documentation. [...]

Jason Thomas of My-Way Seafood in Panacea says that business is down by thousands of dollars a week from last year, but no amount of documentation from his accountant seems to satisfy BP. On Friday, his colleague Debbie Logan returned from another fruitless three-hour trip to the claims office in nearby Crawfordville, frustrated by the lack of answers.