(MOBILE, Ala.) - A cemetery and a neighborhood association are among dozens of organizations in Florida chosen to receive grants to promote gulf tourism and seafood.
Deepwater Horizon Claims Administrator Patrick Juneau announced 110 organizations along the Gulf Coast will receive more than $43 million dollars in the first round of grants from the Gulf Tourism and Seafood Promotional Fund. More than 350 grant applications were considered.
The fund was established by BP and Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the Deepwater Horizon Economic Loss & Property Damages Settlement, and was meant to fund projects to bolster tourism and highlight gulf seafood.
Louisiana government agencies and non-profits received the highest amount of grant payouts with 43 organizations receiving $15,961,554 million.
21 organizations in Alabama were awarded a total of $8,337,180. Mobile County non-profits like Bayfest, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Bellingrath Gardens and Home are among those expected to receive grant money as well. In Baldwin County the Cities of Foley, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach were among government agencies given the final nod.
"It's frustrating to see Florida, and some of these other states, get these big numbers when they had really minimal, minimal impact," City of Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said.
33 organizations in Florida received $13,361,016 million from the fund. Among the recipients, five are government agencies in Southwest Florida, two tourism agencies in the Tampa area and others outside of the devastating reach of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Disaster.
At least 22 grant winners span from Pensacola to Panama City. Among them were St. John's Cemetary in Pensacola, and the Baytowne Wharf Neighborhood Association.
"This was a very thorough process," Patrick Juneau said in the grant announcement. "We feel each of these applicants presented a unique and well-defined plan to use these funds as tourism generators and promotion of local seafood."
Out of the four gulf states, Mississippi received the least amount of grant money. 13 organizations in "The Magnoia State" split $6,006,650.
Below is a list of the the recipients of the 2012 Gulf Tourism and Seafood Promotional Fund Grant in Florida:
· Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce
· "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
· Collier County Department of Natural Resources
· Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
· Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce
· PASCO Office of Tourism Development
· City of Naples
· City of Marco Island
· Pensacola Math, Engineering, Science & Stuff
· Pensacola State College
· Sacred Heart Health System
· Mexico Beach
· Lee County Visitors & Convention Bureau
· Pensacola Veterans Memorial Park
· Port St. Joe Redevelopment Agency
· Santa Rosa Island Authority
· St. John's Cemetery
· National Flight Academy
· West Florida Preservation, Inc.
· Latino Media Gulf Coast
· Baytowne Wharf Neighborhood Association
· Horizons of Okaloosa County
· City and Port of St. Joe
· Visit Pensacola
· Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners
· Gulf Coast Marine Life Center
· Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Council
· Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater
· Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel
· Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce
· Wakulla County Tourist Development Council
· Navarre Beach Chamber of Commerce
