Defiance Beach

By Dawn Lim

As the oil spill on the Gulf Coast spreads east to Florida, commissioners in Okaloosa County, Fla., are tired of waiting for the federal government to give them the green light to clean up their beaches. They're threatening to take matters into their own hands - even if it means breaking the law.

"We've played the game. We're done playing the game," said Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Wayne Harris according to the Destin Log. County commissioners voted unanimously last week to allow local emergency managers to bypass federal emergency managers, much to the chagrin of the Coast Guard.

"We're not looking to get into an argument, but there is an overriding federal interest in those waterways, and the safety of those waterways is the responsibility of the Coast Guard," Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen according to CNN.

County officials say they will continue to work with the state and federal authorities to get their plans approved. But they are frustrated with delays in authorization to move forward with the clean up.

"I think there's a fundamental flaw in the federal response," Dino Villani, the county's public safety director according to CNN. "When you're down in the trenches trying to respond like we are, it doesn't work."

"We made the decision legislatively to break the laws if necessary. We will do whatever it takes to protect our county's waterways and we're prepared to go to jail to do it," Harris according to the Destin Log.