By Times staff writers
Published September 4, 2004
TAFT - The bad luck just keeps coming to Taft.
Three weeks ago, Hurricane Charley ripped through this small community of mostly older mobile homes south of Orlando, near the Bee Line Expressway and Florida's Turnpike.
Now, Hurricane Frances seems to be plotting a path to Taft's front door.
Most of the debris that Charley left behind is still here, piled in the drainage ditches, vulnerable to Frances' high winds.
"We didn't have anywhere for it to go except the ditches," said Debbie Smith, who turned 34 the day Charley hit Taft. "I hope I don't have tree branches sticking through my house when I get back."
Not everyone is leaving. Shirley Dean, 69, is going to ride it out in her mobile home. She went through Charley, too, and knows that the room she added onto her home is more sturdy than rest.
"I'm staying right here," she said. "If I go, I go."
Nine east coast airports close
Nine airports along Florida's east coast have ceased airline operations because of Frances.
They are Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, St. Lucie County International, Dade County-Homestead Regional, Palm Beach International, Kissimmee, Orlando International, Melbourne International, Orlando Sanford and Vero Beach Municipal airports.
While Miami International Airport had many flights canceled, it continued operating. Daytona Beach International had no departures scheduled after 7:30 p.m. Friday, although the airport remained open for operations.
Tampa International and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International airports continued operations, but Delta Air Lines, AirTran, Gulfstream and Spirit all canceled flights in and out of Tampa. St. Petersburg-Clearwater had no cancellations, and ATA, the airport's principal carrier, diverted seven flights over Friday and today to St. Petersburg from Orlando.
FEMA chief: Costlier than Andrew
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown predicted Hurricane Frances will generate higher damage costs than 1992's Hurricane Andrew.
"In Andrew, it still moved fairly rapidly," he said. "Here we have so much moisture, the storm is physically so big and spread out so wide that they anticipate it will go all the way across the peninsula. So I think it's going to be a huge storm financially for us."
Hurricane Andrew cost insurers $15.5-billion in claims, or $20.3-billion in today's dollars. The hit from Hurricane Charley three weeks ago, the second-worst hurricane on record, is expected to tally $6.8-billion in insured losses.
Insurance industry representatives said FEMA's prediction was premature, at best.
"There were people predicting that (bigger-than-Andrew scenario) for Charley, too. I don't see this right now as being a $20-billion type event," said Bob Hartwig, chief economist with the Insurance Information Institute.
Restrictions instated for adjusters
Four days after Hurricane Charley slammed into Florida on Aug. 13, Gallagher imposed emergency rules to protect victims from unreasonable public adjuster fees.
He's not waiting this time.
On Friday, before Hurricane Frances even made landfall in Florida, Gallagher imposed an emergency order banning public adjusters from charging fees of more than 10 percent of a claim payment. He also prohibited adjusters from charging fees up front and gave consumers 14 days to back out of a contract without penalty.
Public adjusters are typically hired by consumers who have trouble with their insurance company or want an experienced insurance agent to represent their interests.
"By limiting fees, it's our hope that homeowners and business owners dealing with the aftermath of the storm know what to expect and aren't scammed and gouged financially by public adjusters inflating their fees," said Gallagher, whose department regulates insurance companies in the state.
Gallagher put similar rules in place after Hurricane Charley when his office received reports of some public adjusters demanding fees of as much as 25 percent.
Frances doesn't slow adult shop
Sex sells. Especially with a hurricane on the way.
"Hey, business is good," said Mary Ann Hayes, manager of the House of Leather off U.S. 1 in Daytona Beach. The store stayed open even as Hurricane Frances drew closer.
Locals have stopped in. So have evacuees from South Florida on their way north.
"Movies, magazines, adult novelties, a lot of toys," said employee Ann Marie Pike, reciting a list of this week's popular items.
There's a special on adult movies this week: buy one, get the second half price. There's also plenty of whips, chains, G-strings and French maid outfits.
All sales are final.
Delivery point for gasoline closed
The Port of Tampa was scheduled to close to ships Friday night, but the Coast Guard could make exceptions, said Lori Musser, a Tampa Port Authority spokeswoman.
Virtually all gasoline for west and central Florida comes through the port. A few vessels brought petroleum to Tampa terminals Friday.
Suppliers were diverting deliveries Friday to stations along major evacuation routes and emergency services agencies, said Jim Smith, president of the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association.
Evacuees find shelter in Keys
Some Floridians and tourists are taking refuge from Frances in an unlikely place - the Florida Keys.
With hotels booked throughout South Florida and the cancellation of a mandatory visitor evacuation for the upper Keys on Friday, some people went there to wait out the storm.
Some hotels reduced their Labor Day holiday rates and waived minimum stays for the weekend to help evacuees.
"This is a very unusual situation because we normally ask people to leave and head to other places like Orlando and Palm Beach in the event of a threatening hurricane," said Harold Wheeler, director of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
Both Key West International Airport and Florida Keys Marathon Airport served as a safe haven for more than 200 commercial and private aircraft.
Staff writers Matthew Waite, Jeff Harrington, Lou Hau, Joni James, Brady Dennis and Jean Heller contributed to this report.
