Use Intelligence to Rebuild and Help Flood Victims

Last year when I purchased my first home in Florida, I actually had to turn down an accepted offer I’d put on a home I wanted to buy because it was not insurable. Located on a slight hill in a flood-prone zone, the home was older and had a five foot crawl space so the actual home would be safe in the event of a flood. However, the home was built of wood and the inspector found too much termite damage which made it uninsurable.

Sure enough, this East Volusia home, built sometime in the 1930s, flooded last week during historically heavy May rains. However, due to the fact that the home had a crawl space, the first floor remained dry. (I can’t attest as to whether or not the roof leaked.)

The home I did buy, built in the 1950s of concrete block and also on a small rise, has a three foot crawl space and also did not flood. Only the attached garage, which is lower than the house, took in water. It’s a garage and nothing was damaged – no point even mentioning it to the insurance people. My neighbors who also live in historic homes, some with basements, all escaped damage to their first floor living spaces.

Meanwhile, over 1000 manufactured homes and homes built “slab on grade” must now be demolished. Slab on grade means that the concrete slab foundation is poured directly onto the ground and the home (or building) is constructed on top so that the first floor is only a few inches above the ground (if that). So, in the case of a flood, you have little protection except to pile sandbags around the door openings and perimeter of the home and hope for the best. Here in Florida, flooding occurs every year.

Governor Crist is counting on much needed flood relief from President Barack Obama’s administration to replace and rebuild the over 1000 homes which have been destroyed in cities bordering the east coast of central Florida. I hope Florida flood victims get this relief. However, we have to spend the money wisely.

First, there are numerous homes for sale in dry areas not prone to flooding. Listed on Realtor.com within the 32124 zip code in western Daytona Beach are 67 single family detached homes just waiting for new owners. In all of Daytona Beach, there are currently 997 single family detached homes for sale. In Ormond Beach, 1100 single family homes are for sale. Rather than rebuild in the same flood prone areas, flood victims should be educated to buy an already built home in a non-flood prone area of similar value to the one they are replacing. This will serve two purposes: provide for new homes while remedying the glut of homes for sale currently on the market.

Flood prone areas can be redesignated as parks and retention ponds and swales can be built in their place. You can never have too many parks.

Likewise, the government can issue coupons to flood victims to replace other items. This will help the nearly bankrupted furniture and appliance stores by buying already overstocked goods filling local Central Florida stores. Cars should be replaced with domestic Chrysler, GM, and Ford cars already on the lot. There's no sense making or building something new when the market itself is flooded with goods. It's a win win. The government will be helping not only the victims, but also struggling manufacturers and businesses.

Should someone need to rebuild in the same location, possibly to restore an historic home or replace a much needed business, school or church, the first floor of the building should be raised at least four feet above grade. This allows water to flood below the building while allowing enough room to repair plumbing and electric when necessary. One of the most popular designs in flood prone coastal areas is the "garage on the bottom" design where the first floor is raised eight feet above grade.

NBA Fans and Players – Clean Up Your Act!

During the May 10, 2009 Sunday night Boston Celtics game, Glen Davis, nicknamed “Big Baby,” showed to the world his true character as a “Big Bully” when he shoved a 12-year-old Magic fan out of his way while making his way back to the Celtics bench. The boy was correctly standing well off the court and the clock had run out. However, Davis was not penalized. (A wonderful article interviewing the boy is found on the Orlando Sentinel website).

I was not surprised. Davis, the size of a defensive linebacker football player, attempted to strangle Dwight Howard in game 3 held on Friday, May 8, 2009 in Orlando. Despite Davis’ offense occurring in full view of everyone for several seconds, he was not even called for a foul. It was as if Davis knew that he was untouchable.

The experience has led me to believe that the NBA referees are either
A. Scared of Davis;
B. Paid off;
C. Threatened; or most likely
D. Preferential to the Celtics.

I suppose that referees would have to be sequestered in India during the off season to prevent them from becoming biased. Some referee’s behavior throughout the regular season and playoffs has been disappointingly unprofessional as they have repeatedly called fouls and ejections against the Magic while letting the opposing team’s similar actions slide. The Magic, only 20 years old, has a smaller fan base compared to more established teams, such as the 63-year-old Boston Celtic franchise. The referee has to go home and face his family and friends – they might be Celtic fans.

But, the way some of the Magic fans behave in response to the numerous bad calls is equally embarrassing and shameful.

Imagine sitting in a small stadium with 17,500 other fans, a good portion of whom are chanting, “Ref, you suck!” The people sitting in the row behind you are yelling all sorts of unimaginable filth, most of which can not be repeated in this “family friendly” blog. You cover the ears of your young, 8-year-old son who you brought with you to the game as a bonding experience, but the child is disturbed by what he hears and is asking questions, such as: “What does c---t mean?”

As an Orlando Magic season ticket holder, I’ve been fortunate to have regular seat neighbors, some of whom I’ve gotten to know so well, our friendships have blossomed and now extend outside the games. However, every now and then, one of us will sell our seats and there is just no telling who might show up. In the 22 seats which surround us sit two young children who regularly attend. I wonder what kind of example we are setting for them as we mold them into the future leaders of tomorrow.

Each game begins with a stellar performance of the singing of our national anthem. The proper behavior: stand resolutely in respect of our flag, hat in hand (if one is worn), and listen in reverent silence, cheering at appropriate moments when moved. Some attendees cover their hearts with their right hands. Some bow their heads. I am always choked up with tears by the end of the song.

During the anthem, I hear people talking nearby. I hear yelling in the halls. People want to get to their seats. The concessionaire just outside the entrance to the seating area is hawking “Cold beer! Cold Pepsi!” What is wrong with these people?

Once the game starts, it becomes clear why the fan behavior has become so disrespectful. The game of basketball, once revered as a non-contact sport based on skill, has now become riddled with malicious physical assaults which would land most people in jail. Players are now chosen for their large size and clever defensive maneuvers executed out of sight of the referees. They are told to “take out” other players.

This isn’t football. Is it? The players aren’t dressed for this. Do they need to start wearing padding? A helmet and face mask? What about a more protective cup?

I suppose I was spoiled being raised on college basketball in ACC country in North Carolina where I attended about a quarter of the games each season in the college town where I lived. I was privileged to see greats such as Coach Dean Smith orchestrate the ingenious 4-corners keep-away game to burn up time on the clock when the team was ahead (This strategy created the necessity for the shot clock in college basketball.) I marveled at the speed and maneuverability of 6’-0” tall, Demon Deacon Skip Brown. I watched as Michael Jordan grew wings and learned to fly through the air in “The Dean Dome,” where even the chairs were colored Carolina blue. I witnessed Coach K’s first season at Duke and watched as he grew his team into a formidable foe. And I nearly got arrested when I stood with fans blocking Hillsborough Street after Lorenzo Charles made the last second shot to help NC State win the NCAA championship in ‘83.

The reason I bought season tickets was in part because the Orlando Magic team, led by Coach Stan Van Gundy, reminds me so much of those wonderfully talented teams I grew up watching in the ACC. For the first half of the season, up until the time Jameer Nelson was injured, watching the Orlando Magic play was like watching a well-choreographed ballet performance. Nelson would bring the ball down the court, scream at his teammates to get into position, and then the team worked magic – passing the ball so fast my eyes couldn’t keep up with it, creating ingenious and clever plays that nearly always brought the ball up to the net for a winning shot. What really impressed me the most is the level of team work amongst the unselfish players, a key component missing from most NBA teams.

It was the Milwaukee Bucks game in late November which first shocked me when I watched as Bucks players systematically took out the Magic lineup one-by-one by grabbing and twisting their crotch area. “Why don’t they eject them for that?” I wondered. “Why don’t they fine them?” Two players had to leave the court with “groin” injuries. If this had happened in the parking lot, the Milwaukee Bucks players would have been booked in the Orlando city jail and charged with assault and battery.

How can players get away with this? The problem is that there are only three referees and all are positioned down on the court where they have limited visibility during the fast pace of the game. Some NBA players have become experts at inflicting serious injury on the opposing players without being seen. Up here in the upper level, I see it all, and I’m a bit embarrassed, so much that I’d have a hard time bringing small children to some of the games. There are the elbow jabs to the head and chest disguised as reaches; the punches to sensitive sides; the trips; the fake falls; and the criminal brutality of groin assaults.

I blame the coaches for encouraging such barbaric behavior. If you can’t win the game fairly because your players are not skilled enough in shooting and maneuvering, please do not resort to illegal defensive strategies. This is a terrible example for our children.

I blame the fans who spur on such bad behavior if it means a win for their team. Read the blogs and article comments written by Celtics fans. Instead of expressing sympathy and concern over the welfare of the 12-year old boy who Davis shoved, the Celtics fans abusively insult the boy and his father for voicing a complaint. Can't they put aside their team allegiance for one minute to feel empathy? (And people wonder why crime victims don't come forward.)

I admire Celtics basketball player, Glen Davis for his incredible shooting ability. I’ve clapped when Celtics player, Ray Allen, made incredibly difficult shots. For me, the fun of the game is witnessing the incredibly talented NBA basketball players perform unbelievable plays on both teams.

What ruins the experience for me as a season ticket holder is all of the violence.