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Frances' squalls soak Pinellas

The storm sweeps over the county, leaving some damage without any injuries or deaths.

ST. PETERSBURG - Hurricane Frances pelted Pinellas County with stinging rain and gusty wind Sunday, toppling trees and forcing thousands of residents to spend a long, soggy day indoors.

By late evening, reports of major damage were few, although rain was expected to continue through most of the night. The storm hurled a manufactured home into the street at 34th Avenue and 79th Street N in St. Petersburg, but the house wasn't occupied, according to Anita Treiser, a city spokeswoman.

There also were calls about trees in the road, damaged roofs and wrecked cars, but no injuries or deaths.

"A couple of roofs have been damaged, but nothing of severe consequence," said Sgt. Doug Griffith of the Clearwater Police Department.

Bands of rain began steadily pounding the area early Sunday. But that didn't stop some residents from roaming the streets.

Dave Segar was still loading up on last-minute groceries around 10 a.m. at the Albertson's on Fourth Street N. He battled swirling gusts and rain as he steered a cart loaded with bread, fruit, jugs of water and paper towels toward his car.

Segar, 37, who lives in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, was anticipating a long day, stuck in the house with his three daughters, ages 9, 16 and 18.

"There's only so many movies you can watch," Segar said. "And after the power goes, you can't even do that."

St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue responded to a number of fires as wind gusts knocked down wires. The department doubled the number of firefighters on duty to help handle the increased volume in calls, District Chief Mike Zamparelli said.

By mid-morning, crews were busy as two houses on 28th Avenue N caught fire around 10:15 a.m. Zamparelli said a falling branch probably hit a wire near the homes, causing a system overload that sparked the blazes. The fires were extinguished quickly.

"It was handy having all the extra help," he said.

By noon, Les Grebetz was impressed by Frances' power, as the wind whipped the high oaks above Gulf Breeze Mobile Home Park in Clearwater, making cracking noises.

"Cracking up here, cracking over there, it scared me," said Grebetz, 40, a roofer. Looking up as oak branches waved across the steel-covered sky, he said, "it's got to take tremendous force to make them crack. I've never in my life seen something like that."

Nevertheless, Grebetz and others in the mobile home park tried to enjoy themselves, sipping beers as the storm passed.

In Dunedin, James Herron also chose to ride out Frances in his mobile home. It was his second gamble with Mother Nature: He also had refused to leave when Hurricane Charley threatened.

"You're going to have to take me out of here in handcuffs and leg shackles," said Herron, 59, who lives in the Oak Bend mobile home park. "I was born and raised here. I don't get nervous about hurricanes."

But Carl Vogelsberg, 55, and his girlfriend, Mary Bown, 52, decided not to take any chances. They left Bay Pines Mobile Home Park in St. Petersburg on Saturday night for the shelter at Northside Baptist Church, 6000 38th Ave. N.

The couple, who missed Charley because they were visiting relatives in Kentucky, quickly learned the essentials of shelter living.

"You've got to bring a lawn chair," said Vogelsberg, shifting uncomfortably in a straight-backed chair. "Otherwise you've got to sit straight up the entire time."

By mid-afternoon, high winds were gusting in Seminole, especially at Lake Seminole park, where frothy waves sent spray across seven lanes of Park Boulevard. A metal carport crashed onto a truck at the Golden Lantern Mobile Home Park. No one was hurt.

Frances' winds also battered a Clearwater Beach landmark: The sign for Bob Heilman's Beachcomber Restaurant sat at a 45-degree angle.

There were reports of cosmetic damage to some of the beach's hotels, as well as downed trees and utility poles.

In St. Petersburg, there were lots of downed palm fronds and tree limbs, plus a few uprooted young oaks in the Snell Isle and Shore Acres neighborhoods.

By early evening, some residents were going a little stir crazy.

Rookie's Sports Cafe on Fourth Street N wasn't supposed to be open, but employee Lisa Rummel and her husband Robby stopped by to get some ice for their home cooler.

Customers saw Rummel's car and thought the place was open. Rummel, a 12-year employee, called her boss, who gave her permission to open.

"We started today and couldn't do any more," said Michael Drabin, after they had seen three.

Over a pitcher of beer, wings and french fries, he tried to reassure his wife, who is from Thailand, that Florida doesn't always have such awful weather. He didn't mention Hurricane Ivan, which could also threaten the state.

"I think," Som Drabin said, "it is like this all the time."

Times staff writers Curtis Krueger, David Karp, Eileen Schulte, Anne Lindberg, Megan Scott, Mary Jane Park, Sharon L. Bond and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report.