Tourist brochures and BP claims

Visitors looking for discount coupons to local attractions and restaurants at Collier County visitor centers might be surprised to find something else near the brochure racks: BP oil-spill claim fact sheets.

For example, visitors to the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce main visitor center will find the Deepwater Horizon claims fact sheet at the front desk.

Of course, the fact sheets aren't intended for visitors. Instead, they're designed to help local businesses that have suffered declines in business because people canceled their vacations here with the mistaken belief that oil would ruin their stay on the beach.

You've got to admit the juxtaposition of Everglades adventure brochures and BP claims advice is a little jarring, even if visitors know that the beaches are still pristine.

Coffee Talks would be the last to blast any effort that helps local businesses recover lost revenues. But one has to wonder just how many local business owners go to visitor centers.