Gov. Crist visits Sarasota to discuss oil

In a small building off U.S. 301, a Sarasota company showed Gov. Charlie Crist how it's preparing a product ready to do a big job in oil cleanup.

Osprey Biotechnics develops environmentally safe products using natural, biodegradable agents. It can fill 55-gallon drums with a product it makes called Munox, which the company says can break down oil.

"We have over a hundred different strains of bacteria in our collection," said scientist Christopher Reuter as Crist toured the lab.

Crist also sat down for a candid conversation.

He told the company's staff it's all hands on deck while oil sits off Southwest Florida shores.

"Now what we need to do is work through the appropriate response teams that have been identified to handle such disasters and potentially put the technology on site," said Victory Finley, Osprey Biotechnics' vice president of business development, to Crist.

After the visit Crist headed for Sarasota Bay and the home of world-reknown Mote Marine Aquarium.

There, John Reynolds walked Crist through the marine mammal hospital while pointing to a pair of rescued dolphins. "These are the species most likely to be affected by the oil because they're offshore," Reynolds said to Crist.

Mote has been designated a "receive site" for any oil-sickened sea turtles along the West Coast, south of the Panhandle.

The facility's seasoned staff remains eager to play a role in the rehabilitation and rescue of wildlife. But like other local environmental organizations, helping hasn't proved an easy process. Mote hasn't received one dime from the government or BP to help prepare and eventually handle its role in the crisis.

"Well, I think there's a level of frustration that unfortunately goes along with this scenario," Crist said about the frustration different groups have had about gaining access to critical response information.

"This isn't like something any of us have dealt with before. It's difficult, it's trying, it's a challenging deal, and I think what's important is continued persistence," he said.