As Oil Washes Ashore in Florida, Scientist Evaluates Impact

July 2, 2010 - PRLog -- As oil from the Gulf of Mexico rig disaster made landfall in northwest Florida this week, an environmental scientist who worked in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and New York City following the World Trade Center disaster has agreeed to participate in the upcoming Condo Vultures® panel discussion "Assessing the BP Oil Disaster on Florida Real Estate."

Jay Sall, the Practice Director of Industrial Hygiene and Safety at Environmental Engineering & Consulting Services (EE&G) in Miami Lakes, plans to discuss the physical and environmental issues caused by the oil disaster in the gulf as well as provide some insight into the clean up process in Florida at the Aug. 10 seminar in Greater Downtown Miami.

Sall has a bettter idea than most of what it is going to take to perform the clean up given his two decades of experience in disaster response, disaster recovery, and construction /reconstruction services.

Joining Sall on the panel discussion will be Thomas J. Dixon, a former chairman of the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches and a past president of the Miami Society of Commercial Realtors.

Dixon, a veteran real estate professional with a resume that includes tax appeal advisory services, commercial appraisal, development, and brokerage, plans to share his insight into the effects that the BP oil disaster could have on South Florida real estate prices.

The largest oil disaster in U.S. history is estimated to cause as much as $4.3 billion in property value losses in the 600-mile stretch from New Orleans southeast to Tampa. It is still unclear how and if property values could be effected along Florida's east coast, according to Bloomberg.

Dixon, a resident of Miami for more than 40 years, is set to discuss his expectations based in part on his experience the last time an oil disaster in the hemisphere washed up on the South Florida shores some three decades ago.

Born in Florida, Dixon moved to Miami in the 1970s after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in building construction and a master’s degree in real estate from the University of Florida. He worked as an appraiser for more than 15 years, earning the designation of MAI (Member Appraisal Institute).

Dixon's work has earned him recognition among his peers and the media. In 2008, Miami Today newspaper profiled  Dixon in its "Best of Miami" edition. The Industrial Association of Dade County named Dixon its 2001 Broker of the Year. Dixon has also been a finalist for the Ernest and Young Best Real Estate Deal of the Year award.

Sall and Dixon will be joined by a third panelist to be announced soon. Condo Vultures® founder Peter Zalewski will moderate the program.

The Condo Vultures® Seminar Series event will be held from 5.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel on North Bayshore Drive in Greater Downtown Miami.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Please contact executive editor John Fakler at 800-750-0517 for more information.

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Condo Vultures® LLC is a Bal Harbour, Fla.-based consultancy and publishing company focused on collecting, analyzing, and communicating intelligence on the South Florida real estate market.