Dig Deeper?

It would appear that Navarre Beach, "Florida's Best Kept Secret," is oil-free.

"What I found was a beautiful white sand beach with no visible tar," blogged Ron Stern, editor of the travel website Just Say Go. "I waded out into the emerald-green water and looked for any signs of smelly, slimy oil. Nope, nothing except for some swimmers, seagulls, and families enjoying the sunshine, gorgeous water and clean shores."

According to the Pensacola News Journal, Stern was one of six out-of-town reporters invited to visit the area by the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council. The trip, which included a beachfront stay at the Summerwind Condominiums and a tour of local sites in a stretch limo, was funded by BP to get the word out that in the the wake of the oil spill, the Gulf's beaches are clean and ready for tourists.

WKRG Pensacola, however, reports that BP spokesman Ray Melick says Navarre beach is one of the beaches that remains part of the cleanup effort. The oil company is awaiting clearance to allow workers to use heavy machinery to remove bands of oil that may be buried 18 to 24 inches below the sand.

After raving about Navarre's sand, water, seafood, and cocktails at sunset, Stern touches on this: "Here you can enjoy miles of pristine coastline only occasionally interrupted by some residual cleanup operations."

--Molly Oleson