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Poll: Floridians Happy With Fay Response, Preparation

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By KEITH MORELLI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 30, 2008

TAMPA - A new poll shows Floridians are satisfied with the state's efforts to protect them when tropical storm winds blow.

The poll, released Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, focused on Tropical Storm Fay, which moved through Florida last week and dumped as much as 2 feet of rain in some areas, causing flooding and several deaths.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they thought Gov. Charlie Crist did an "excellent" or "good" job dealing with the emergency, and 72 percent said their local emergency management officials did an "excellent" or "good" job.

Fifty-seven percent of people surveyed said they were affected by the storm. Members of this group were the most likely to give a thumbs-up to Crist and local officials. Nearly 80 percent gave Crist a positive rating, and 76 percent gave local officials high marks.
Tropical Storm Fay moved from Key West north before turning west and lumbering through the Panhandle. The Tampa Bay region largely was spared.

The poll was done in four regions, covering most of the state, but more than half the sampling came from West Central Florida and South Florida.

The governor's performance rating on the tropical storm is 20 points higher than his general job rating of 57 percent, according to the poll.
Poll questions about the storm were posed "because everyone was talking about it last week," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research in Jacksonville.

The poll was good news for state officials.

"I think it's encouraging that people are getting our message," Blair Heusdens, spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said Friday. "They are feeling good about what we are doing to prepare, and maybe it means they also are preparing."
Florida emergency management officials had their eye on Fay long before it turned toward Florida and Crist declared a state of emergency when Fay was south of Cuba. The National Guard was placed on call as the storm headed toward Key West.

Counties across the state activated emergency operations centers and readied shelters. Schools were closed, and many cities and counties shut down government offices.

Tropical storm and flood warnings were issued for most of the state, from the Keys north, including Citrus, Hernando and Levy counties north of the Tampa Bay area, while Fay ambled through the state.

Mason-Dixon surveyed 625 random registered voters Monday and Tuesday in the telephone poll released Friday.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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