The last Saturday night in September, Timothy Farris shut down his Godfather's Pizza restaurant here in this small Gulf Coast beach town, a victim, he says, of the dismal tourist slump that accompanied oil and tar balls washing ashore from the giant BP spill.
Mr. Farris had applied for $258,000 in emergency compensation from a $20 billion fund the oil company set up to help stricken businesses. But weeks had passed without a verdict on whether he would get anything, and he couldn't afford to stay open any longer, he says.
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As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
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