State: Floridians join in day's festivities

[AP photos]
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush talks with supporters at the Florida inaugural ball Saturday in Washington. The president poked fun at his little brother.

By MARY EVERTZ

WASHINGTON -- While most Floridians braved the rain and cold to see George W. Bush become the 43rd president, Florida Senate President John McKay and his wife, Michelle, did not. Seated in the VIP section, the McKays withstood the elements for almost an hour and then, just before the ceremonies began, decided to return to their hotel.

Unlike so many of the women who wore their fur coats in the drizzling rain, Mrs. McKay had chosen a Florida-weight black coat which wasn't warm enough for this cold, wintery January day.

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"What a wonderful speech President Bush gave," Florida Education Commissioner Charlie Crist said.

Crist and his date, Amy Spencer, sloshed through the muddy walkway talking with Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst, his wife, Karen, and son Brian Jr. In the course of their conversation, Spencer learned one of Brian Jr.'s teachers at Countryside High School is her brother, Chip Spencer.

As the group headed away from the Capitol, a smiling Dr. Allan Kavalich joined in the conversation.

"I used to be from Florida -- Seminole -- and I graduated from Bishop Barry High School," said the kidney specialist, who lives in Redlands, Calif.

Ski bibs and jackets were the answer for Chris and Ali Eger and son Robert, 7, of Palm Beach Gardens. The family had driven 16 hours to get to Washington. "It's something I wanted to share with our son," Eger said. "It was 80 degrees when I taught my last student in Palm Beach," said Eger, the tennis pro at Vallen Isle Tennis Club.

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Rep. Mike Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, and Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Largo, were among the congressmen who held open houses after the inauguration. Just one problem: the house wasn't exactly open. It was almost impossible to get into the Rayburn Office Building to visit them. A couple thousand people from all over the country stood on the steps in the rain hoping to get in while they waited and waited for the security guards to check them one by one. Most left after an hour, never reaching the doorway.

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In a city where everyone is hungry for a celebrity sighting, Dick and Becki McClure of St. Petersburg feel they won the prize. The couple, staying at the Mayflower, stepped off the elevator to find boxing legend Muhammad Ali standing in the lobby. When asked, the champ agreed to have his picture taken with the couple.

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On Saturday night, Floridians gathered in the 15-story-tall Great Hall of the National Building Museum for the state's inaugural ball.

Country singer Larry Gatlin opened the evening on stage by telling Democrats, "We won under the rule of law. Deal with it."

Terry Arthur and his wife Tiffany, of Fort Lauderdale, were among those celebrating among the eight colossal Corinthian columns in the hall that was designed in 1880s to house the Pension Bureau.

Arthur, who owns Arthurs' Paper, was wearing a cowboy hat, string tie and boots he had bought for the occasion. He volunteered during the drawn-out recount battle in Florida, working up to 20 hours a day. He said he had been to two "chad" parties in Washington.

"It's like a reunion of Army buddies," he said. "We'll always have this common bond."

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The honored guests, President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, arrived at the Florida ball about 10:25 p.m. with their daughters.

Bush poked fun at his little brother, Jeb, by saying, "If there's any worse dancer in my family than me, it's the governor of Florida." Then he asked, "Is the governor of Florida even here? Still out trying to rent a tux?"

Bush thanked the inaugural committee for putting on the ball so quickly.

"We lost a little bit of time, as you may remember," he said, referring to the five-week recount battle in Florida.

President Bush grins as his daughter Jenna, 19, adjusts her dress, as they dance Saturday at the Florida Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington.

He also said, "I can't wait to get to work, but first there's an inaugural dance. I'm not the world's greatest dancer, so you'll have to suffer through it."

Bush danced with his wife and both Jenna and Barbara, who were making their first party appearance of the evening.

In a potentially embarrassing moment, Jenna, who wore a strapless dress, stopped her father when he began to lift her arm to spin her around during their dance. She grabbed at her dress as her father embraced her before twirling her in the other direction.

Less than 10 minutes after they arrived, the Bushes were gone.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk