We’ll get through this together, Jimmy Buffett tells people of Florida Panhandle

Jimmy Buffett laments the fouling of his paradise

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmy Buffett’s timing is a little off.

The “Margaritaville” singer is synonymous with the white-sand beaches along the Gulf Coast that are now being fouled by leaked oil. He’s planning to open a hotel in Pensacola Beach, Fla., in a week.

He took a walk Saturday along the beach with Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist and noted that his favorite memories of the area are of sunsets in the fall.

He says he wants people in the area to know that he’s there for them. He says if he’s good for anything, it’s “helping people forget their troubles for a couple of hours.”

He says the people of the Florida Panhandle will get through the crisis together.

(This version CORRECTS that the hotel is opening in a week, instead of in two weeks.)