'Come and stay with us'

Making matters worse, some local businesses were just starting to recover from past hurricanes -- including Ivan in 2004 -- when the latest summer cancellations began coming in as the Gulf oil slick spread.

"How do I feed my children?" asked Victor Wright, owner of the Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle Shop, who said he can't wait months to get repaid.

Although there is still no oil in sight off Pensacola, he said his business was already losing customers fast.

Rivers, owner of Mega Bites Inshore Charter, said most of his bookings for June had already been canceled.

"This could easily cost me all the rest of my 2010 business," he said. "If the oil damages the (fish) nurseries, 2011 won't be any better. I'm already looking for work."

Adding to the frustration is the nature of the pending disaster. Unlike hurricanes, in which state and local governments coordinate the response, BP is fully in charge of the oil pollution prevention operation.

That is uncharted territory for officials like Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan, who is used to being in charge.

"Anybody else feel helpless?" Morgan asked the crowd assembled at the Pensacola Beach Community Church.

"We are strictly in a support mode now. As a law enforcement officer, that is a frustrating place to be."

Lee Kent, general manager of United Rentals, a heavy equipment company, feels the frustration too.

He is waiting to help push sand, or tackle other kinds of oil spill containment work.

But he said he had been stymied by the red tape and his clients' inability to get the permits needed to protect their own property. Everything is being run through the US Coast Guard, which is in turn coordinating with BP, Kent said.

Other area businesses are trying to make something positive out of the situation, but turning this into a win for the community is hard even for the best community booster.

"We need to tell people that if they want to help us, they need to come and stay with us," said Fred Simmons, who owns a number of Pensacola Beach businesses, including the Paradise Inn motel.