Storm gives public servants chance to catch public eye
Not that they would admit it, but a high-profile disaster offers politicians priceless publicity.
By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published August 18, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher alerted the media Tuesday to another potential scam spawned by Hurricane Charley: public adjusters who demand cash before handling claims.
Gallagher issued an emergency rule banning upfront payments, and he will give people two weeks to cancel a contract. Speaking at the state emergency operations center, he said swift action is needed because hundreds of out-of-state adjusters want emergency licenses in Florida.
"When you have a disaster, you also have opportunity," Gallagher said.
The same could be said of Gallagher, Attorney General Charlie Crist and Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings. The hurricane is an opportunity for them to demonstrate to Floridians they are ready to succeed Gov. Jeb Bush and lead the state.
All three want to be the next governor of Florida and may seek the Republican nomination in 2006. They are looking for ways to boost their name recognition and have stayed in public view as much as possible since the hurricane hit.
Crist, a St. Petersburg resident, visited the Pinellas County emergency operations center Thursday, a day before the hurricane hit. He warned against price-gouging scams by people looking to cash in on others' misfortune.
Crist and Gallagher were by the governor's side Saturday on a walking tour of downtown Punta Gorda, the better to be in the background of network TV interviews. With Bush on the scene Sunday, Jennings was a calming media presence, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer why a visit from President Bush to Charlotte County on Sunday was so important.
"You know, he'd be criticized if he didn't come, he's criticized if he does come," she told CNN.
Over the weekend, Jennings boarded a Blackhawk helicopter to survey the damage in her hometown of Orlando. She will visit De Soto, Hardee and Lee counties today with U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, who will be bringing money to disaster victims.
To many Floridians, the presence of a familiar politician is reassuring in a crisis. Gallagher was praised for his work as insurance commissioner after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, when he blocked insurers from leaving the state and sped up the processing of storm victims' claims.
"I think my job is to do my job," Gallagher said Tuesday in a stock answer to the ambition question. "I don't have any idea what I'm going to do after this."
Gallagher has a toll-free phone line, 1-800-22-STORM, for people to check whether an adjuster is licensed. Crist has a toll-free line for people to complain about price gouging, 1-800-646-0444.
While Gallagher vowed to go after insurance scam artists in southwest Florida, Crist filed the first two lawsuits for price-gouging after the storm.
Crist called a news conference Tuesday to announce lawsuits against the Days Inn Airport hotel in West Palm Beach and the Crossroads Motor Lodge in Lakeland, accusing them of price gouging and unfair trade practices by charging exorbitant prices for rooms.
A casually-dressed Crist stood next to a big photo of a Days Inn billboard advertising a $39.99 room rate. He said the hotel charged two customers $109 and a third $119.
"I think that doing your job is the most important thing any of us can do," Crist said, "and that's what we're doing, and that's what we're focused on."
Times staff writer Joni James contributed to this report.
