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Florida Power adapts its rules to allow 114 American flags to be pinned to its poles in Inverness from Sept. 11 to Nov. 11.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 8, 2002
INVERNESS -- Residents hoping to fly American flags on utility poles along Main Street scored a big victory Wednesday.
Florida Power agreed to accept the city of Inverness' $2-million liability insurance policy in case anything goes wrong with the flags on the poles.
The company had initially required $5-million in liability insurance, which posed a major stumbling block as the Inverness City Council discussed the flag project Tuesday night.
Several council members seemed supportive of Arnold and Mary-Ann Virgilio's proposal to line Main Street with 114 American flags from Sept. 11 to Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
But they balked at Florida Power's initial requirement and hoped the power company would accept its $2-million in liability insurance instead.
"I've been losing sleep over this issue, trying to find a way to do it," council president John Sullivan told the standing-room-only crowd that filled City Hall.
No problem, Florida Power said Wednesday.
"What we sent was a standard pole agreement," Kathy Small, Florida Power's community relations manager, told the Times. "Our desire would be $5-million but we understand each community is not at that level. We'll change the pole attachment agreement so it reads $2-million."
The city still has to sign the agreement, and Florida Power would have to inspect each pole before a flag could go up. Mrs. Virgilio believes there is enough time to get some, if not all, of the flags up by Sept. 11.
"I think downtown Inverness should display those colors for sure," she said. "We should paint the town in red, white and blue."
Council members agreed Tuesday to stop worrying about another issue: the Walgreens wall mishap.
The retaining wall encroaches a couple of inches into the city's right of way along S Apopka Avenue, and Great Southern Contractors has asked the city for months to cede or sell the strip of land to the drugstore.
But the city can't part with any bit of right of way unless it serves a public purpose, City Attorney Denise Lyn told the council.
Council members voted unanimously Tuesday evening to take no further action on the matter.
"They've made a problem and tried to make it our problem, and with the help of the news media, they've made it our problem," Sullivan said.
"It's really something we shouldn't have been involved with," council member Bob Plaisted said, adding that the dispute is between the contractor and the surveyor. "We shouldn't have to spend taxpayer dollars to deal with a problem between two businesses."
It is unclear what will happen to the wall. The title to the property is clouded as long as the wall remains in the right of way, so the contractor may have to move it unless another surveyor determines the wall sits on the property line.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Marcel Smyk, controller for Great Southern Contractors, told the Times Wednesday. "I'll have to talk to my attorney."
-- Bridget Hall Grumet can be reached at 860-7303 or bhall@sptimes.com.