The Buzz 9/30/04

HURRICANE POLITICS Building codes do matter, just look at Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key and Navarre Beach.

However, Northwest Florida doesn’t have the same strict building codes as South Florida. When the Florida Legislature adopted stricter codes after Hurricane Andrew, Panhandle lawmakers won an exemption by arguing that the region was less-hurricane prone than South Florida. The tougher standards, which include withstanding 120 mile-per-hour winds, extend only 1 mile from the Gulf of Mexico.

State Rep. Dave Murzin tells the St. Petersburg Times that the stark contrast between pre-Andrew and post-Andrew construction shows a need to reconsider the Panhandle exemption.

However, building standards are only one of many issues Gov. Jeb Bush and lawmakers must handle after an unprecedented four hurricanes striking the state in six weeks. The problems include affordable housing; beach renourishment; reviving tourism and agriculture industries; rebuilding infrastructure, such as bridges, schools and government offices; and helping people cope with escalating insurance deductibles.

A special legislative session in December is planned with new House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, presiding. Bense has put Rep. Leslie Waters, R-Seminole, on the recovery challenges.

Waters believes Florida should have enough money to deal with the four hurricanes thanks to a $1 billion emergency account and an anticipated $890 million in increased tax collections this year.

Gov. Bush wants big brother George to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency to increase its share of the cleanup costs from 75 to 90 percent.

Let’s hope he’s successful–maybe his mom Barbara will put a little extra pressure on the president, if need be.

LEE AND HALL GO AWOL Santa Rosa County’s District 5 is the county’s most affluent district. Its property taxes help fund much of the county and school operations and that’s no lie.

Unfortunately, it got the worst support from its elected officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. District 5 County Commissioner Buck Lee was the only commissioner that was not at the Santa Rosa County Emergency Operations Center. There was no one to help get water, food and ice stations for his district. If it weren’t for John Kanzig Jr. of the Midway Fire Department, very little help would have reached some of the hardest hit people.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Wendall Hall offered no help to the homeowners on Soundside Drive and Bay Street. The winds had not died down before looters were hauling off jet skis, boat motors and anything else they could find. Plenty of National Guardsmen were patrolling Pace and Milton, but none could be seen in Tiger Point, Villa Venyce and other south end neighborhoods.

Santa Rosa County is finding out there is a difference between an elected official and a public servant. Lee and Hall don’t qualify for the latter–at least, not in District 5.

WHAT ELECTION? With Hurricane Ivan focusing people’s attention on food, water and shelter–you know, the basics–who cares about the fast-approaching Nov. 2 Election Day?

Politicians and public officials, that’s who. Supervisors of Elections, smacked by chads and overseas ballots in 2000, are now contending with four hurricanes that have completely wiped out polling sites in some locations.

Meanwhile, political challengers in state and local races are trying to get voters’ attention. Some express qualms but also optimism that in a few weeks the focus will shift back somewhat to elections again.

One local political operative says any type of political campaigning locally right now would seem crass to voters. Other political watchers say the lack of political coverage might help weaker campaigns. Meanwhile, Ivan’s aftermath is giving bumps to some local politicians, most notably Escambia County Sheriff Ron McNesby and Escambia County Superintendent Jim Paul.

Hey, anybody have cable yet, so The Buzz can come over and watch the presidential debates?

POLLING FOR VOTES Pollster Zogby will begin daily national tracking, starting Oct. 4 and running right through Election Eve, Nov. 1. You can expect nightly election predictions from the talking heads on Fox News and MSNBC.

Although Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has “held a narrow but consistent lead among registered voters under age 30,” the new GENEXT Poll shows that President Bush “has pulled even.” Since last month’s poll, Bush gained slightly among young voters (+3 percentage points), while Kerry lost support (-5 points).

The new Investor’s Business Daily/Christian Science Monitor poll has Kerry leading Bush 46 percent to 45 percent among likely voters. Among registered voters, they are tied at 44 percent. However, other pollsters are giving the nod to Bush: Electoral Vote Predictor (Bush 54-46 percent), Election Projection (Bush 55-45 percent), and Race 2004 (Bush 57-43 percent).

The Buzz predicts the Bush juggernaut will not slip up and will win by an unexpected huge margin. However, we reserve the right to modify this prediction. How’s that for fearless journalism?

Insurance Disaster

By Duwayne Escobedo

Hurricane Ivan’s winds ripped apart Gary and Rhonda Buyers’ roof, dumping rain inside. Then Buyers looked out and saw waves breaking on his street, as Ivan began whipping up Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound water into their Tiger Point neighborhood. A gust tore open their front door.

The Buyers decided it was time to evacuate to their next door neighbors’ two-story house. By that time, the storm surge at their home—nearly a half-mile from the Sound—had reached chest high.

“I decided we better go or stay and drown,” says Gary, a 60-year-old legal investigator.

They “floated” to the Matthews’ house next door with their two dogs. Problem was, Danny Mathews had just nailed his front door shut. His wife, Debbie, quickly opened a dining room window that wasn’t boarded up and the Buyers made it inside to safety.

“We thought we had a safe house,” says Gary, explaining that during Hurricane Opal in 1995 they had no storm surge and just a few shingles blown off their house. “We still had cell phone service and called the Matthews. Our neighbors saved our lives.”

The couple, who have four grown children, thought their traumatic ordeal was over.

It isn’t.

They got off to a stormy start with their homeowners insurance company—Allstate.

GOOD HANDS?

The Buyers have mucky, soggy floors, a torn up roof, and all their drenched furniture drying out in their front yard and a piece of plywood with their insurance company’s name and policy number spray painted on it. The first Allstate adjuster that came out told them their place was “livable.” He blamed the damage on flooding and told them the insurance company would only pay for damages above 4-feet, the Buyers report.

Too bad. So, sorry.

Rhonda Buyers pulled together demeanor crumbles into tears as she describes the insurance disaster. Gary’s eyes also well with tears. The storm battered couple’s nerves are frayed.

“We’ve always done what we have to do,” Rhonda says. “We didn’t give a second thought to our coverage. It’s devastating to begin putting your life back together and have an insurance adjuster tell you he can’t do it. Everything we owned was in this house.”

Gary explains they don’t have flood insurance because their home isn’t in a flood zone. He doubts whether they can rebuild, if Allstate, like Ivan, creams them too. He adds: “They were callous about it. Even before they walked in, they’re saying, ‘Oh, well.’ Where is their sense of being human?”

Enter trial lawyer Mike Papantonio.

Papantonio met a second Allstate adjuster at the Buyers’ storm-ravaged home.

This insurance man promised to have a professional engineer investigate the damage and to cut a check to at least begin roof repairs.

It’s not the first cry for help that Papantonio has received in Ivan’s aftermath.

“People are dealing with the shock of what happened,” he says. “They want to get back to their homes. Then, you have to suffer a second time because the ‘Good Hands’ people tell you they can’t really help you.”

BREWING INSURANCE BATTLE

The stories have so enraged Papantonio that he’s organizing a dream team of insurance lawyers to help people just like the Buyers. Papantonio says the legal muscle will be similar to the Conoco lawsuit, which resulted in a $70 million settlement earlier this year with Pensacola residents whose properties were contaminated by the Agrico Superfund site.

In the Conoco legal battle, Papantonio brought together Robert Kennedy Jr., Waterkeeper Alliance president, Jan Schlichtmann, who battled Massachusetts polluters, and Allan Kanner, who directed the Three Mile Island class-action lawsuit.

To battle insurance companies in the wake of Ivan and also Charley, Frances and Jeanne, the Levin, Papantonio law firm has so far joined forces with Morgan, Colling & Gilbert, a 40-attorney Orlando law firm known for aggressively taking on the insurance industry. Troy Rafferty is heading the Levin, Papantonio effort along with John Morgan of Morgan, Colling & Gilbert.

A Web site and phone numbers are being set up soon for people who need help to prevent an insurance disaster.

“We’re not chasing this because we need more business,” Papantonio says. “I’ve heard all these stories and they are ridiculous. In two houses with the exact same damage and the exact same facts, one adjuster says, ‘I can’t help you,’ and another adjuster says, ‘Oh, we’ll be more than happy to do all of this.’ I’m not going to sit around and do nothing. I’m going to make sure people are treated decent and the insurance companies do the right thing.”

Once the final damages are assessed from an unprecedented four hurricanes hitting Florida in six weeks—damages that are expected to reach $20 billion—the aftermath of all the storms is likely to be continued in courtrooms across the state for many months to come.

STORMY CARRIERS

Insurance industry experts say, the hurricanes are expected to spawn a barrage of insurance and other related lawsuits, ranging from storm-related automobile accidents to financial losses incurred by businesses.

Former federal insurance commissioner Robert Hunter, now with Consumer Federation of America, tells MSNBC: “Insurance companies are good at writing those little checks while the cameras are there to cover the disaster; the problems can arise after the cameras go and the time comes for writing the big checks.”

Hunter encourages homeowners to keep good records and document contacts with insurance carriers. He says if you feel the adjuster’s offer is too low or coverage denial is wrong, complain to insurance company management. If you still don’t get satisfaction, check with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. As a last resort, there’s always a lawyer, he says.

“Not all insurance companies handle claims badly,” Hunter says. “But be vigilant or you run the risk of being short-changed.”

Florida Insurance Regulation Commissioner Kevin McCarty says state regulators plan to keep a close watch over insurance carriers.

“We have set a high bar for the insurance industry to clear in responding to these events,” McCarty says. “So far, the companies have met these high standards, and we look forward to them continuing to do so.”

State Farm, the state’s largest insurer, has brought in about 3,500 adjusters to begin gathering information on the extent of the damage to its customers’ homes, says spokesman Tom Haggerty.

“We’re always willing to review claims,” he says. “But there’s always some people who are not happy and elect to file a lawsuit.”

FEELING ‘SUB-HUMAN’

James and Lisa Daehne, like the Buyers, definitely are unhappy with their insurance carrier. Ivan destroyed their home inside and out with its winds, rains and storm surge in the Davenport Bayou neighborhood near Navy Point.

The Daehnes say one neighbor told them he got a $30,000 check from his insurance company to begin rebuilding and another said her agent loaned her an SUV. Meanwhile, she has made repeated calls for two weeks, with no response.

“Our house looks like a giant dump,” Lisa says. “It’s getting toxic. With no resolution, we’re feeling sort of sub-human.”

Morgan and Papantonio promise help is on the way.

Morgan’s Orlando law firm is already flooded with requests to help fight insurance companies there in the wake of Charley and Frances.

“Everyone’s coming out of a mushroom cloud, a stupor, and realizing the adjusters are not going to help,” Morgan says. “We’ve got to watch the big three—State Farm, Allstate and USAA—because they’ve got the most to lose.”

Papantonio wants homeowners to know they’re not powerless against the giant insurance industry, which he points out made $89 billion from investments last year.

“Some insurance companies are doing absolutely the best they can,” he says. “But the ones who aren’t need to pay attention. We’re going to focus a consortium of lawyers on this problem.”

duwayne@inweekly.net

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10 FAQ’s You Should Know

Q: Does the contractor who fixes my home need workers’ compensation insurance?
A: Yes. If a worker is injured on your property you may be liable for his injuries if the contractor doesn’t have workers’ compensation insurance

Q: The public adjuster who I hired to adjust my claim because I thought the insurance estimate was too low asked me for money up front. Can he do that?
A: No. There was an order issued after the hurricane that no up front money may be charged and the cap on adjusting fees is 10% of the recovery.

Q: Will FEMA pay my deductible?
A: No. FEMA initially claimed that it might to be able to assist with deductibles but it has never done so before and FEMA has not made any payments for any deductibles that have been reported. For low income persons FEMA may be able to give grant money for additional living expenses and low interest loans may be available to cover persons without insurance.

Q: Can the insurer raise my deductible from 2%-5% without my express approval?
A: We don’t think so. The 2%-5% deductible hadn’t been used since the law was passed in 1996 which allowed the insurance company to raise deductibles for hurricane damage. We think that the insurer should have had you sign a document allowing for the increase in your deductible.

Q: Can the insurer cancel my coverage if I make a hurricane claim?
A: No. There was an order issued after the hurricane that policy may be cancelled or non-renewed for making a hurricane claim.

Q: My insurance premium was due on September 1 and I couldn’t pay it because of the hurricane. Will my insurance be cancelled?
A: No. There was an order issued after the hurricane that if your payment was due on or after September 1 the time limit is extended until October 15 for the insurer to receive payment.

Q: My automobile insurance policy was up for renewal on September 1. Can my insurer non renew or cancel the policy?
A: No. No insurance policy can be cancelled until after October 15, 2004.

Q: My homeowners’ insurance policy was up for renewal on September 1. Can my insurer non renew or cancel the policy?
A: No. No homeowners’ insurance policy can be cancelled until after November 30, 2004.

Q: My mortgage company never paid my homeowners’ insurance and now I dont have coverage. What do I do?
A: Under a new law the mortgage company is responsible for any damage to your property that would have been covered by your insurance. Also, all costs and fees to reinstate the insurance have to be paid by the mortgage company if the insurer sent notice of the payment due.

Q: The insurer only wants to replace part of my roof and it will look bad. What can I do?
A: Under a new law the insurance company has to do enough for there to be a “reasonably uniform appearance.” Having a mismatched roof would not seem reasonable but it would be up to a jury to make the decision.

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Hurricane Disaster: Big Boost to Rates
By Joseph B. Treaster

While Florida was cleaning up from Hurricane Jeanne, its fourth hurricane in six weeks, insurance executives and analysts are predicting the cost of coverage will rise sharply for millions of homes and businesses in the Sunshine, um, make that the hurricane state.

With the industry expecting to pay roughly $20 billion in claims from the storms, the analysts and executives say premiums could jump 15 percent to 30 percent when policies are renewed, compared with an average of perhaps 3 percent for the rest of the country.

“The insurance companies have got to take price increases where they have losses,” says Christopher Winans, an analyst for Lehman Brothers. “So there’s no doubt about it, if you want to live in Florida you’re going to have to pay higher premiums. The companies have got to replenish lost capital.”

Robert P. Hartwig, chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group in New York, estimates that the industry will probably receive two million claims from the four storms, including Hurricane Jeanne, which hit over the weekend. Some analysts say the total damage could hit more than $50 billion.

Some damage will be covered by federal flood insurance, but for many of the losses there is simply no insurance, placing a burden on homeowners and state’s economy. But Florida, a pivotal state in this election year, is expected to receive abundant federal assistance.

“People will definitely feel” the price increases, Winans says, but he and others say the jolt will be far less than after Hurricane Andrew, which set a record for insured losses in Florida 12 years ago that in today’s dollars is about equivalent to the $20 billion racked up by the latest fearsome foursome.

“After Hurricane Andrew, rates went up 100 percent statewide and 300 percent in Southeast Florida,” says Sam Miller, the executive vice president of the Florida Insurance Council, a trade group in Tallahassee. “There will be increases. But you’re not going to see the massive rate increases that we had after Hurricane Andrew.”

The increases for more than 6 million homes and businesses will have to be negotiated with state regulators and the industry. Executives say the rises probably will be apportioned along the unusual paths of the storms.

Until now the insurance companies and weather experts had expected the heaviest damage from any storm to be in Southeast Florida—places like the Florida Keys, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. And insurance rates for those areas had been raised the most in the past.

But the latest hurricanes inflicted more damage on Southwest and Central Florida as well as the Panhandle, including Pensacola. Those areas will probably see the greatest price increases, analysts claim.

“We may decide that we’re not charging enough in southwestern Florida,” Miller says, “whereas we might think we’re fine on the southeast coast.”

Another result, says Hartwig of the insurance trade group, may be that insurers like Allstate and State Farm, the leaders in Florida, may decide to drop hurricane coverage in the places hardest hit, and seek to shift responsibility to an insurance organization created by Florida to provide minimal coverage for hurricanes.

When the latest hurricanes struck Florida, most homes covered by the special organization, the Citizens Property Insurance Corp., were along the coasts, from Gulf Breeze to Miami.

Part of the premium increase is expected to come in the form of an assessment of 5 percent to 10 percent on every home insurance policyholder in the state by the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Susanne K. Murphy, the corporate counsel, for Citizens insists in an interview that she does not know whether an assessment would be necessary.

But at the end of June, Citizens had $1.1 billion in cash available to pay claims, Hartwig says. Murphy says Citizens was facing estimated claims of $1.29 billion from the first three hurricanes and has no estimate of costs for Jeanne yet. “I think it’s fairly certain that Citizens will need to institute an assessment,” Hartwig says.

In addition to raising prices after Hurricane Andrew, the insurance companies were able to get regulators to approve hurricane-loss deductibles of 2 percent to 5 percent. They also benefited from being able to shed coverage in the riskiest areas and from the creation of a state catastrophe fund that pays 90 percent of an insurer’s losses, after costs to the industry for a hurricane have exceeded $4.5 billion.

That $4.5 billion has become, in effect, the industry’s hurricane deductible. But it was designed with a $20 billion hurricane like Andrew in mind, in the hope that the bulk of the losses would be borne by the catastrophe fund. For each hurricane, however, there is a new deductible.

This year, the insurers are facing four deductibles, giving them much higher losses than anticipated and partly explaining why significant price increases are a certainty. How much is the question for Florida homeowners.

New York Times News Service

W&L 9/30/04

The Yadda girls –Cynthia Campfield and DeeDee Ritchie—sent us their Top 10 list from their home office now located in Des Moines, Iowa, for Hurricane Ivan. The Top 10s have prompted a whirlwind (pun intended) of other rip-off lists circling the World Wide Web. But you read it here first–all done in the Independent News’ unique Winners & Losers style.

Top 10 reasons why Hurricane Ivan was like Christmas
10. Your house was decorated with lots of candles.
9. You did your last-minute shopping in crowded stores.
8. You couldn’t sleep all night.
7. You had a few days off from work.
6. All of your out-of-state friends called.
5. You drove around Pensacola to check out the lights.
4. Your favorite TV shows were pre-empted by specials.
3. You ate everything in the fridge.
2. You maxed out your credit card.
1. You knew that at some point you’re going to have a tree in your house.

Top 10 ways Hurricane Ivan was good for Northwest Florida
10. We all got to get to know our neighbors better.
9. We didn’t have to pay the unreasonable Garcon Point Bridge toll.
8. We didn’t have to see any Pelican ads in the PNJ for two weeks.
7. We got an early start on demolishing Bayfront Auditorium.
6. We got rid of all those annoying political signs.
5. Four laning Via de Luna will be a breeze now.
4. Escambia County Sheriff Ron McNesby got to ride in his helicopter, but not his submarine.
3. God decided what Pensacola should do with the Port of Pensacola.
2. Pensacola City Hall was closed and nobody noticed.
1. We may get the feds to move Main Street Sewage Treatment Plant.

Top 10 things that really blow about Hurricane Ivan
10. Unplanned skylights being added to your home.
9. No college football on the TV.
8. Having to smell whether the milk in the fridge is bad.
7. Getting bills in the mail–but no checks.
6. Forgetting to buy propane for the grill.
5. Having phone service, but no phones that work without electricity.
4. Listening to a Mobile DJ give wrong directions to get to a comfort station.
3. Realizing you probably smell as bad as the guy standing next to you.
2. Not knowing what is swimming in your pool.
1. Finding out more is being given to rebuild Iraq than to rebuild Florida.

Outtakes 9/30/04

By Rick Outzen

MARATHON STAGE Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter had a great line when he opened his press conference at the Santa Rosa Emergency Operations Center five days after Hurricane Ivan smacked the coast.

“We’ve finished the sprint and now we’re entering the marathon,” Salter quipped.

Yes, we have all had to deal with meeting our most pressing needs of food, water and shelter–the sprint stage. Now we are faced with a long recovery of rebuilding our businesses and our community–the marathon stage.

Many of us are counting on our insurance carriers to lessen the pain and speed up our rebuilding. Unfortunately, Independent News Editor Duwayne Escobedo discovered not all insurance adjusters are being as helpful as they can be. Many homeowners are finding themselves in battles with their insurance companies over whether the damage was due to flood or wind and how much the damages total. The story is devoted to that struggle and how we can all get the most out of our insurance coverage.

Please understand, I come from an insurance background. My father had his own independent agency in Greenville, Miss. The individual insurance agents that sold the homeowners’ policies are not to blame for this controversy. Many agents are doing all that they can to help their clients, but the problem is really further up the ladder with the large insurance companies.

Hopefully, a spotlight on the issue by this paper and other media will help spur change in how the claims are being handled in Northwest Florida and throughout the state. So often the Gannett-owned daily newspaper has initially ignored IN investigative reports (W.D. Childers’ power plays, Conoco/ECUA water contamination, Trillium opposition, John DeWitt ethics violations, etc., etc.) It is my hope that the local daily will not turn a blind eye to these insurance problems and will get their huge news empire on this story.

It’s not about who gets credit for breaking the story. It’s about uncovering abuses and helping the community.

UNITED SAFETY NET One organization that is quietly working behind the scenes and helping those individuals and families who have “fallen through the cracks” is the United Way of Escambia County.

Since the hurricane made landfall, the United Way staff has manned two phone lines in the Escambia County Emergency Operation Center. United Way has coordinated all donations of outside goods and services that are being brought into the area–anything separate from state and federal assistance.

They also have fielded over 700 phone calls from residents needing assistance–ranging from urgent needs such as food, ice and water to more long-term needs such as removing trees.

United Way is picking up where many other disaster agencies are leaving off, through the help of volunteers who have come forward in the community–your every day average Joes who want to make a difference. They are literally going door-to-door helping people and also providing help to churches, which have lots of members who need assistance.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to realize that we will have two key issues in the community because of Hurricane Ivan. One is the overall rate of homelessness that is going to skyrocket. The other is the large number of elderly, who will need help relocating out of their destroyed homes.

United Way is committed to helping the community make Ivan a distant memory. To help, contact United Way at 434-3157.

TOUGH BEING THE LITTLE GUY I do want to compliment the Gannett-owned Pensacola News Journal for their coverage of Hurricane Ivan. They did exactly what a daily newspaper should do–provide essential information on what Ivan damaged, who was hurt and how services were being restored. Being part of a multi-billion corporate giant based in McLean, Va. gave them the resources to bring about 30 people from other Gannett papers into Pensacola–nearly four times our full-time staff.

While Gannett was bringing in the troops, I was helping Gulf Breeze get water, ice and food. The rest of the IN staff was cutting down limbs, patching roofs and delivering MREs and other supplies to shut-ins in their neighborhoods.

We did not publish a Sept. 17 issue–we completed it and had it ready for print, but the presses at the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach lost power. So we decided to hold the articles for our first annual music awards for a later date. We did publish last week–doing nearly all the writing and design in a day and a half.

This week we are only 24 pages, but we have tried to make them as informative, thought-provoking and entertaining as possible. Just like many other small businesses, we have been handicapped by having to relocate, regain power, Internet and telephone lines, and battle slow cash receipts. There is no big brother, like the local daily has, to carry us.

We will survive, not because someone bailed us out, but because of our determination, hard work and your support. See you again next week.

Letters 9/30/04

REAL POVERTY I just wanted to commend you for your editorial mentioning poverty and how the Pensacola city officials should be doing more to attack this serious problem in our community (Independent News, “Attack Poverty,’ Sept. 3).

So many citizens in our fine community seem to literally sweep this issue under the rug. We need more discussion about ways to tackle this issue. Here at United Ministries, we see working families every day struggling just to make ends meet. Thank you for your focus on this important issue.

—Harriet Riley, United Ministries director

RAVING ARTICLE I am a 22-year-old student and I also throw local electronic events. It is a breath of fresh air to see the electronic scene getting positive press finally (Independent News,”Rave New World,”Sept. 3). Keep up the good work.

—Nathaniel Hinds, Pensacola

ELECTRONIC EXPLORATION I’m a local DJ/electronic music enthusiast. I just wanted to express my appreciation and gratitude for your recent coverage and exposure of EDM (electronic dance music) events in the Pensacola area (Independent News, “Rave New World,”Sept. 3). I’ve spoken to a lot of EDM DJs and fans in the area, and the response to the recent coverage has been very warm.

I always enjoy picking up the IN and having a good read. Lately, because of your increased recognition and coverage of EDM events and DJs, I’ve enjoyed it 10 times more. Hope to see the coverage continue. Thanks so much, not only from me, but from the rest of the EDM community.

—Joey Amspacher, aka Nusense, Pensacola

THRIFTY CITY? There is reason to believe that the Pensacola City Council is relatively clueless and sterile on tactics to reduce city spending.

Cutbacks in hiring and leaving vacant positions unfilled are the most effective strategies. For example, is there any compelling evidence that the recent departure of an assistant city manager produced any downside? Leaving unfilled the position of environmental coordinator (at best a part-time job) would not be noticed.

The amount of overtime scheduled in any year is somewhat arbitrary. Fiscal year 2005 budgets $1.6 million, a 21 percent increase over fiscal year 2004. Does the council really believe that $60,000 in overtime is justified and crucial for weed and seed? I don’t.

Neither is overtime of $529,300 justified for the fire department. The regular salary of firefighters is quite generous compared to other professions. The apportioned overtime increases the base salary of each fireman by $4,000 per year.

Has any councilman ever read the fire chief’s monthly or yearly activity report?  Fires are infrequent compared to emergency calls, which fundamentally duplicates the Escambia County emergency medical service.

This overtime data must be examined in terms of human risks, property loss and  costs. None of this information is summarized in the city budget as presented to the council for approval. Other areas of potential cost reductions will be developed as time permits.

—Pompelio A. Ucci, Pensacola

SHERIFF NO FAN OF SCARBOROUGH It was brought to my attention that the Independent News gave Joe Scarborough credit for helping to elect Sheriff Ron McNesby in 2000. Since I was the Sheriff’s campaign manager, I can tell you unequivocally that he had no part in McNesby’s victory. Matter of fact, he made it known that McNesby had little chance of winning against an eight-year incumbent.

It was a sweet win, no thanks to any Escambia County Republican political machine! It’s time the Independent News gets their facts firsthand, so that they can print correct information.

—Nan Weaver, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Special Projects coordinator

BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS It seems that as the ban on deadly assault weapons is set to expire, a certain president of the United States is withholding his call to renew that ban. Instead, he is hoping that in return for allowing the ban to lapse, he will receive the formal endorsement from the National Rifle Association.

Now, I can’t speak for NRA members, but, I’m willing to bet that a large percentage would vote for the president with or without a formal endorsement from the home office. Now, I know what some are thinking, “liberal, tree-hugging, leftist whacko, dadburn-sissified-good-fer-nuthin-blah, blah, blah.”

Not exactly. However, I do like the idea of our citizens, not to mention our law enforcement officers, not getting shot up with an AK-47 assault weapon. A gun, which after the ban expires, will be purchased legally at Jimbo’s Big Gun Emporium and Bait Shop.

It pretty much boils down to this: If you are OK with the idea that some scumbag can now buy an AK-47, then do nothing. However, if you just aren’t comfortable with that idea, call your congressman, senator or even the president and tell them that the ban should and must be renewed, regardless of what may be gained or lost politically.

—Jason Clark, Pensacola

ENOUGH ON KINSEY Obviously, Pensacola defense attorney Mike Rollo has major heartburn over Pat Kinsey (Independent News, “Fair and Impartial?” Sept. 3). Maybe now that Kinsey has been re-elected to the bench, her detractors will shut up.  Frankly, I am tired of reading Rollo’s opinions on Kinsey. Maybe Rollo can run for judge next time. Surely there must be hundreds of people writing the Independent News, print something new and useful.

—Sharon Neal, Pensacola

RANDOM RANTS Some thoughts from driving around town, reading between the lines of the newspaper and trying to figure out what the television news is attempting to report.

How much longer will the common folk be allowed to fish from the end of the Palafox pier? This is a place where generations of families have for decades taught their youngsters how to fish and enjoy the beauty of nature. One former city council member was understood to say the city needs to clean out the riff-raff from there. Guess the rich folks want it all to themselves? Will we one day see a brick wall with a guarded gate in that area where residents and high rollers are the only ones welcome?

The pelicans around town are interesting. The Independent News’ flamingoes were a hoot.

It doesn’t take an out of town expert to determine that the Port of Pensacola is a losing proposition. All that it takes is for the citizens to ride down around the Municipal Auditorium and look at the port to see how many boats and barges are not tied up there. It looks like an old West ghost town the vast majority of the time. For the city to tie itself to long term contracts with corporations that can add pollution and more stink to downtown is simply stupid.

Looks like the county government should have built their new offices in the country instead of downtown where parking is now often hard to find and will be more difficult to locate once more employees are working there. Why not utilize some of the old abandoned shopping malls where there is plenty of room for parking and large buildings on site that may be renovated?

Wonder just how polluted and dangerous the ground is at the Trillium site? Seems we never heard any final reports from that and only hints of how much clay would need to be packed down to make it usable. If it’s OK to use, then put the city immediately to the task of leveling the land out, filling the overflow trenched for the sewer system and doing some minimal grass planting so the public can indeed begin venturing there.

Hats off to and high respect for Rev. Hugh King who decided that he can serve only one master. It is regrettable that school board member Ronnie Clark appears to not have such high standards for himself.

I sure don’t expect to see all of this in your newspaper, yet I do appreciate the opportunity to write.

—Robert H. Smith, Pensacola

Water-logged

By Sam Baltrusis

PLT’s Flooded Frocks

The show will go on. But first, the crew at the Pensacola Little Theatre needs to dry out their skivvies before the downtown stage can return to its pre-Ivan glory.

“We just got our power on yesterday,” says Will Wirth, the Pensacola Little Theatre’s marketing director. “Downstairs is flooded, to a certain level. A lot of our costumes are stored below, and we’re spending the next few days to see whether or not the costumes are salvageable.”

Wirth explains that the area beneath the Cultural Center is an intricate labyrinth of catacombs and secret storage space. The basement flooded to almost 3 feet of water, during Ivan’s storm surge. “It’s basically sea water, not backed up sewage, so some of the costumes can be dry cleaned and saved.”

The marketing director says that dramatic rumors that the PLT was destroyed during Ivan are simply untrue. “Most of the good stuff we keep on the main floor,” he says. “Downstairs held extra shoes, pants and other things we use as backup for our larger productions.”

The Pensacola Cultural Center, which was built in 1911 and originally housed the Escambia County Jail and Court of Records, did suffer some structural damage.

“We lost a portion of the roof over the theatre which anybody can plainly see from Main Street,” he says. “Luckily, the wind was blowing so much that we didn’t have much rain damage. After the hurricane, there were a few puddles of water on the stage. But it wasn’t a complete washout.”

The PLT will gladly accept costume donations at the Symphony event held Saturday, Oct. 2 at Olive Baptist Church. “They’re looking for period pieces and costumes. Basically, any clothing people may have that can replace the costumes that were damaged, we’ll accept,” he says.

As for the upcoming season, including the highly anticipated “Hello, Dolly!” and the mainstage musical “A Chorus Line” scheduled for early October, the group plans to announce a revised schedule sometime soon.

“Once we reschedule ‘Dolly’ and ‘Chorus Line’ we’ll be back on schedule,” he says.”Everything will be back on track soon.”

Return to Joy

by Sam Baltrusis

Emotional Tour de Force

Few local arts organizations were prepared for Ivan not only to ravage our little community–but to savagely eviscerate the fall arts and entertainment calendar. Events have been postponed or cancelled. Fallen hotspots barely stand, bitch-slapped by the hurricane’s winds and uncompromising storm surge.

The arts scene is flipping off Hurricane Ivan with a huge gesture of resolve. We will rebuild, the area’s cultural leaders declare. But first we need to heal.

“People need a moment of reprieve,” explains Ari Solotoff, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra’s executive director. “This is an opportunity to acknowledge the relief workers who’ve put in so much time and energy to return normalcy back to the area and to provide a moment of pause to those who lost loved ones and to those who lost their homes.”

Leave it to the folks at the Symphony to spearhead the return of music in an emotional tour de force scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 at Olive Baptist Church. Teaming up with the Pensacola Opera, Choral Society of Pensacola and the Gulf Coast Chorale, Solotoff and crew plan to whip out Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” as an alternative way to kick off their 2004-2005 season—and to evoke the sublime.

“Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is a powerful piece about the triumph of the human spirit and that things will go on,” Solotoff explains. “We will endure.”

Unlike other area arts groups, Solotoff and the Symphony had a hurricane contingency plan. The team used San Francisco’s successful ’89 post-earthquake concert as a model.

“A couple of months ago when Charley hit South Florida, we had a staff meeting and asked ‘What would we do if a hurricane hit us around a concert weekend?’ We came up with a disaster plan,” he recalls. “It became clear that everyone wanted to do a concert like this and Beethoven 9 came out of it. The idea originally came from our music director Peter Rubardt, and we decided to run with it.”

Because the Saenger Theatre was hit by the storm, sustaining some roof damage with roofing hanging over the north side like laundry, Solotoff turned to Olive Baptist Church. A packed house is expected. The church can seat around 3,300.

“Our original hope and desire was to do this downtown in our home at the Saenger,” he says. “We wanted to acknowledge that we believe in the Saenger and that we believe in downtown. Unfortunately, the Saenger just wasn’t able to be repaired in time. So we approached Olive and they were happy to open their doors for us.”

Solotoff views the concert as a way to heal the gaping emotional wounds sustained from Ivan—and to show the power of what the arts community can do when it comes together as a unified force.

“We want to make a statement that we are a collective force and we have relevance here. Together, we can all do something,” he says.

The executive director continues: “The Opera secured these amazing soloists and the Choral Society will perform with us. To experience all of these people performing together is so awe-inspiring and powerful. This event will be extremely meaningful to a lot of people.”

WHAT: Hurricane Relief Concert, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
WHEN: 4 p.m. Sat., Oct. 2
WHERE: Olive Baptist Church, 1836 Olive Rd.
COST: Free
DETAILS: 435-2533 or www.pensacolasymphony.com