WSJ: Florida Storms Disrupt Plans For Fall Travel

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Sanibel, Captiva, Other Resorts Sustain Severe Hurricane Damage, But Disney World Has Reopened

By NICOLE HARRIS and AVERY JOHNSON
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 9, 2004; Page D1

Florida's $51 billion-a-year tourism industry has been hard hit by back-to-back hurricanes, inflicting damage that could take hotels and other popular tourist spots months to repair.

The devastating winds and rain by Hurricanes Frances and Charley have turned more than 30 of the state's 67 counties into official disaster areas, and has left 13 people dead in the state. While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, early tallies suggest that a significant number of resort properties -- ranging from the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort to the botanical gardens at Sundy House in Delray Beach -- have suffered considerable damage. The destruction has the potential to force a considerable number of vacationers in coming months to revise their travel plans -- in the process, hampering the state's economic recovery.

Hurricane Charley wreaked the most havoc on Florida's southwest coast, pummeling Sanibel and Captiva Islands, where posh resorts such as the 570-room luxury South Seas Resort on Captiva, as well as oceanfront condominiums, dot about two miles of pristine shoreline. By contrast, Frances's devastation is concentrated along the Atlantic Ocean, though the storm also lumbered through some of the same areas hit by Charley. Now Florida is bracing for Hurricane Ivan, which is packing winds of 140 miles an hour and could approach the state by Sunday.

The damage up and down Florida's east coast has caused hotel closures in the hardest-hit areas, between Daytona Beach and Palm Beach -- a strip that includes resort favorites such as Hobe Sound, Vero Beach and Cocoa Beach. Miami, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Amelia Island and Jacksonville fared better. On the state's west coast, Naples and Marco Island were relatively unscathed.

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In fact, many of the state's most famous tourist attractions remain intact. Walt Disney World is back up and running after Frances forced the closing of all four Walt Disney theme parks in Orlando this past weekend for two days -- the longest such closure in Disney's history. Orlando's hotels sustained no damage, and all the major attractions in the area are open. The Florida Keys, usually hard hit during hurricanes, emerged unscathed.

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Write to Nicole Harris at [e-mail] and Avery Johnson at [e-mail]

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