Collier leaders want public's guidance on spending BP spill payout

  • By Daily News staff
  • Posted February 28, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.
In this Wednesday, April 21, 2010, photo, oil can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, as a large plume of smoke rises from fires on BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. An April 20, 2010 explosion at the offshore platform killed 11 men, and the subsequent leak released an estimated 172 million gallons of petroleum into the gulf. The Gulf oil spill settlement trial has started in New Orleans, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is scheduled to hear several hours of opening statements Monday by lawyers for the companies, federal and state governments and others who sued over the disaster. Barbier is hearing the case without a jury. The trial is designed to identify the causes of BP's well blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

In this Wednesday, April 21, 2010, photo, oil can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, as a large plume of smoke rises from fires on BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. An April 20, 2010 explosion at the offshore platform killed 11 men, and the subsequent leak released an estimated 172 million gallons of petroleum into the gulf. The Gulf oil spill settlement trial has started in New Orleans, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is scheduled to hear several hours of opening statements Monday by lawyers for the companies, federal and state governments and others who sued over the disaster. Barbier is hearing the case without a jury. The trial is designed to identify the causes of BP's well blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Coverage: Gulf Coast Oil Spill

Collier County government is looking for the public’s help for ideas on how to spend the county’s share of BP oil spill damages money stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve setting up a 13-member project selection committee to hear proposals and present county commissioners with a priority list this summer.

The committee will comprise representatives of county agencies, the cities of Naples, Marco Island and Everglades, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Big Cypress Basin, the Tourism Development Council and the Collier County Marine Industries Association.

Collier County could be in line for between $6 million and $24 million to pay for the projects to be submitted to commissioners for approval.

Also Tuesday, commissioners set out principles for how to judge proposed projects, ranging from providing environmental benefits and creating jobs to restoring coastal ecosystems, protecting neighborhoods from flooding and promoting tourism.

The first deadline for submitting project proposals is April 9. The county plans to post more information and proposal forms on its website, www.colliergov.net/index.aspx?page=7066.

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