The lasting impact of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is yet to be seen, though for some Carroll County residents, the damage has already been done.

Aaron McWhorter, the owner of North Georgia Turf in Whitesburg, said that while the beaches around his Destin and Panama City condos have remained clean of oil, he’s seen a slight decline in the number of people interested in renting the properties since BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire and exploded in mid-April.

Even then, he said he’s one of the lucky ones.

“I don’t think we’ve had any real oil damage on the actual beaches. There’s been nothing I’m aware of that has impacted the beach, but I think what it has impacted is the tourism,” McWhorter said. “I think it has reduced the number of rentals. But maybe we’ve just been fortunate. Over the years the people who rent for us generally come back the next season. I’m satisfied that we’ve been more fortunate than a lot of people.”

Bill Young, owner of Panama City Beach Rentals, was one of the unfortunate ones. In late spring of this year, a full 100 percent of Young’s roughly 600 units were booked from late June through August. After the spill, that number dropped dramatically, falling to the point that only half the units were booked through that time, and the oil hasn’t yet even touched the beaches surrounding Panama City.

The problem, he said, is that media coverage in recent weeks has caused people to second guess their decision to take a summer vacation in the Gulf, ultimately sending them to beach resorts along the east coast.

While his business has been able to recover slightly from the initial consumer backlash — they’re currently at about a 65 percent occupancy rate — the loss of income his company has seen comes to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, if not more.

In addition, Young is the outright owner of 18 condos in and around Panama City, and revenues have declined sharply for those properties as well.

To attempt to make up the loss of income caused by the spill, Young has filed a claim with BP to make up the difference in revenues between this summer and summers past. It’s yet to be seen if BP will accept the claim and how much the company will actually pay.

The fear is that even after it becomes clear that the oil won’t reach Panama City’s beaches and after cleanup crews pack up and go home, the tourist crowd won’t come back, and there’s really no way of knowing how long it will be before tourist traffic picks up again, Young said. And it’s speculative if BP will continue accepting claims for lost revenues that continue through the next few years.

“It’s sad, and the worst thing is Panama City hasn’t had a single drop of oil. It’s just the fact that everybody perceived that the oil was there,” Young said. “I’m trying to look at the long-term projection. If [tourists] went up the east coast to Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach and they had a good experience, they might keep going up there ... They’re allowing everyone to file claims for business that’s down, but the thing that scares me is, how long are they going to keep doing that?”

Young said he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of taking legal action against BP should they reject his claim, though he’s holding out hope that it won’t come to that.

Others aren’t so hesitant to go the litigious route. Several weeks ago, Georgia law firms Taylor English Duma LLP and Pope, McGlamry, Kilpatrick, Morrison & Norwood LLP filed a lawsuit against BP on behalf of Georgia residents affected by the spill. It seeks compensation for loss of income, loss of property value and loss of enjoyment by property owners as well as punitive damages for alleged gross negligence and willful misconduct.

This comes after tourism officials recently told Congress that $500 million would be needed to combat negative public perception due to the oil’s effect on Gulf Coast beaches. In Florida, tourism was down 20 percent in June, and it’s like to continue to spiral downward.

In a written statement, Taylor English partner Foy R. Devine said the negative effects felt by residents who own Gulf Coast properties will continue for years to come.

“Even if the leak were plugged today, it would take years to restore the Gulf and its beaches to the condition they were in before the spill,” Devine said. “As a result, property owners in the Gulf have suffered losses estimated in the billions of dollars.”