President Barack Obama’s idea to establish a fund to compensate people who are economically hurt by the oil spill in the Gulf is being supported by one of Florida’s leading Democrats.

“The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has become our nation’s worst environmental disaster and the economic impact brewing in our state deepens as the oil reaches our shores,” said Sen. Dan Gelber, D-North Miami, who is locked in a tight battle with Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, for the Democratic attorney general nomination.

“I applaud President Obama for his steadfast leadership during this extraordinarily challenging crisis and am glad to see that steps will be taken to create a compensation fund similar to the one created for victims of 9/11,” said Gelber. “This is a critical path that we must embark on to ensure that 100 percent of claims filed by Floridians are paid for by BP and our communities are made whole.”