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Tallahassee, FL – The independent administrator of the BP oil spill claims process was widely
criticized at a task force meeting in Tallahassee Friday. Kenneth Feinberg has been on the job for one month now. Gina Jordan reports his work so far is being slammed by state leaders and frustrated business owners.
Feinberg was appointed by the White House and BP to take over paying claims to people whose livelihoods were affected by the spill. He has a $20 billion account to pull from. His work at the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, referred to as GCCF, began Aug. 23. There has been very little positive information since then. George Sheldon, Secretary of the Department of Children and Families, chairs the BP Claims Working Group, part of a broader task force appointed by Governor Crist.
"I think there is a sense of urgency," he said, "because people are not only frustrated, a lot of people are in a severe economic crisis, that's particularly individuals in the Panhandle as well as around the state as far down as to the Keys."
Sheldon says panel members have heard a growing chorus of concern that the claims response is more confusing and has substantially slowed down in the last month. Attorney General Bill McCollum says he has known Feinberg for a long time, and even he couldn't get a straight answer from him during a recent two hour meeting.
"We walked out of that room just like he's done with every other meeting that you've had with him publicly without any formal commitments; very few formal commitments, let's put it that way," McCollum said.
McCollum told the group that while the claims facility has paid Floridians more than $15 million so far, there's a backlog looming. Fourteen thousand applications remain under review.
"We also are finding that at least half of the claimants who submitted claims
to BP have not refiled with GCCF to date. So hopefully they will, but when they do, that's even gonna be more claims."
Monroe County Commissioner Mario DiGennaro has a big problem with that. He noted that Feinberg previously told them no one who had already filed a claim with BP would have to file again.
"He stood in front of us and this is what he said to us, to our committee," said DiGennaro. "So I'm losing a lot of confidence, I really am. I have no faith in Mr. Feinberg when somebody gets up and tells me one thing and next week they do something different."
Dixie County Attorney Jennifer Ellison would just as soon have BP back in charge. She says the checks may have taken a while, but at least the fishermen in her area got paid and it was the amount they were expecting.
"Now, it's fill things out online, nobody in the claims office really understands how to help you calculate your six month payment. And then when you get it, it's just a check in the mail for 10 to 15, sometimes I've heard as high as 40 percent of what you asked for, with no explanation whatsoever and no one to even call and ask how did you come up with this number."
One of the most vocal members of the group is Captain Robert Zales, owner and operator of Bob Zales Charters. He's heard from his peers in Panama City and he also speaks from personal experience when referring to Feinberg's handling of claims.
"His failure to comply with what he initially said or if he was overly optimistic is causing people to lose their home, causing people to lose their boats," said Zales. "We're going to have a serious problem in the next few months if these people don't get some money. I'm one of them."
Zales says mountains of paperwork and numerous calls have so far not resulted in a reimbursement check for his loss of business. He says Feinberg's actions have driven more people to attorneys' offices, and even if the plaintiffs win their lawsuits, it could be years before they see any money, which for many will be too late.
"We've got no money now. We're coming to a winter," he said. "Christmas ain't gonna be very good in Northwest Florida this year unless people start getting some claims money."
Panel chair George Sheldon says Ken Feinberg has been invited to the next meeting of the Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force. He says the concerns will be sent to Feinberg prior to his testimony, so he won't be able to just take the information under advisement with a promise to get back to them.