BP Pays Big Bucks to Beach Communities

"We're pretty happy. We got 1 point 33 million," says Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon. It's the final payment for all the money that didn't come to the city of Orange Beach because of last years oil spill. "We got a total of about 3.7 million out of them for lost revenues so we're happy with that."

Add that to the settlement reached by the city of Gulf Shores, "4.8 million that was given back to the city for lost revenues and tax losses for the 2010 oil spill year," says city spokesman Grant Brown.

So far, the coastal cities in Baldwin County have recouped almost 10 million dollars in lost revenue because of the BP oil spill.

The BP money covers revenues lost to the cities from construction projects that were cancelled, businesses forced to close because of the oil spill and from all the tourists that didn't show up on the beaches in 2010.

"No it's not over." Kennon says it won't be the last check written to his city for damages caused by the spill. He says the loss of construction projects in his city are still being felt. "You're talking about millions of dollars in permit fees, impact fees, sales tax on construction materials, a thousand workers being in town spending money every day. We think we are entitled to that and we're going to go after it."

Even though everyone agrees this past tourists season was a record breaker, negotiations are already starting for losses that may have occurred in 2011.