Florida AG Bill McCollum has officially escalated the BP fiasco to the next level. In a post on his website today, McCollum announces that he has "sent a letter to BP asking the company to deposit no less than $2.5 billion into an interest-earning escrow account so Florida can be assured of its availability to the state and its citizens and businesses over the long-term recovery period." And now that BP is perceived as the surrogate replacement of the "all free lunch all you can eat" US government, McCollum concludes: “Based on recent estimates from an economist, Florida could ultimately see losses as great as $2.2 billion, as well as a sharp decline in employment in the industries directly impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As Florida braces for what will likely be a staggering blow to its economy with significant impacts to our state’s workforce and the revenues of the state and local governments, it is essential that BP establish immediately a dedicated escrow account solely for the purpose of paying claims and damages to Florida and its citizens.” In other news, the Florida economy is strong and vibrant according to the Beige book.

Full letter: