TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida officials want to set the record straight: The beaches are still open for vacationers despite the Gulf's gushing oil spill.

David Halstead, head of the Division of Emergency Management, says the spill is still a long way from the peninsula. Halstead says reports of tarballs washing ashore and beaches closing are evidence of the "horrible problem with rumor control."

State meteorologist Amy Godsey said Wednesday the weather is favorable for the next three days. She says the spill probably won't move "unless something drastically changes" from the fair weather and light winds currently forecast.

Meanwhile, tourist officials along South Carolina's coast report an increase in calls from people concerned the spill might ruin a Gulf vacation.