Central Florida

TAMPA, Fla. - From Daytona Beach to Tampa, voters in Central Florida began swarming the polls as early as 6 a.m., with a sort of revengeful determination. They hoped to redeem their state from the nightmarish problems of 2000 and prove to the watchful eyes of the national electorate that their votes would indeed count. And, weary of stump speeches, they were eager to put the bitter 2004 Florida campaign behind them. Voters waited as long as three hours to cast ballots in Central Florida, a coveted swath of the state's electorate.

A Maryland company that helps local governments prepare for terrorism is currently consumed with a much different problem: How to get rid of 25,000 truckloads of debris. General Physics Corp. of Elkridge was hired by Polk County in central Florida to manage the logistics for cleaning up the aftermath of two hurricanes in three weeks. The county, which expects to pay between $2 million and $3 million for the company's services, last saw a major hurricane in 1960. General Physics has 135 people in Florida - almost all of them temporary, local hires who were out of work from their regular jobs because of the storms.

As if the winds weren't enough bad news, hydrologists told anxious Floridians yesterday that water - pumped by Hurricane Frances from the ocean and the sky - could pose an even more serious threat to their lives and property. A storm surge of up to 12 feet during two high-tide cycles this weekend could submerge up to a third of the barrier dunes north of storm's center and batter beachfront homes, they said. Worse, as much as 18 inches of rain is forecast for Central Florida over at least two days - adding more woes to a state already soggy from two to three times its normal rainfall in August.

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. - This crescent of sand bathed by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico is one of Florida's mythic destinations, a magnet for bird-watchers, seashell gatherers and the simply sun-starved. Yesterday, islanders who fled as a hurricane approached were allowed back for the first time, and many came with their heart in their throat. In her home on South Yachtsman Drive, Mary Wolf rushed indoors to see if the wooden canoe handcrafted by her late husband was intact. It was. The other damage caused by Hurricane Charley, including a neighbor's Norfolk pine tree that had landed in her pool, were a minor nuisance.

TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane Charley charged across the southern Gulf Coast and into Central Florida yesterday with sustained winds of 145 mph, killing at least three people, injuring dozens, leaving hundreds of thousands in the dark and driving a sea water surge into low-lying neighborhoods. The storm hit the west coast barrier islands between Fort Myers and Punta Gorda shortly before 4 p.m. as a Category 4 hurricane, making it the most powerful storm to strike Florida since Andrew lashed the Miami area in 1992, killing 43 people and causing more than $31 billion in damage.

MILWAUKEE -- After watching Boston College, Georgia Tech and Wisconsin experience varying degrees of difficulty against higher-seeded teams in first-round NCAA tournament play, it would have behooved Pittsburgh to come out and take care of business against lightly regarded Central Florida in the evening finale at the Bradley Center. After all, the Panthers are a strong No. 3 seed in the East Rutherford, N.J., Regional, they won 29 games against a loaded schedule and are viewed as Final Four material.

State men America East At Boston Friday's first round Stony Brook 65, UMBC 59 New Hampshire 43, Albany, N.Y. 38 Saturday's quarterfinals Maine 79, Binghamton 77, OT Stony Brook 62, Boston U. 58 Vermont 58, New Hampshire 50 Hartford 79, Northeastern 74 Sunday's semifinals Maine 78, Stony Brook 54 Vermont 61, Hartford 48 Saturday's championship Maine vs. Vermont, 11:30 a.m. Colonial Athletic At Richmond, Va. Friday's first round Towson 70, William &...

After nearly a nine-month wait, Navy's Don DeVoe reached his milestone last night at Alumni Hall. The Midshipmen took control of Central Florida with their hawking defense in the second half and scored a 68-56 opening-game decision to present their coach with his 500th career victory. DeVoe, 60, became the 17th active coach and 59th all time to claim 500 wins. It happened in the first game of his 30th season - the 11th at the academy, where he has won 172 games. "I just feel so fortunate to be able to coach in that many games," said DeVoe, who has also been the head coach at Virginia Tech, Wyoming, Tennessee and Florida.

COLLEGE PARK - Lightning killed the first game. The second game, against Central Florida, was a struggle. The coach has been accused of abuse. Normally, these ingredients make for a tale of woe. Still, Georgia Tech looks like one of America's top teams heading into its second-to-last game, against Maryland on Saturday. If not for a few plays, the 7-2 Yellow Jackets would be in contention for a Bowl Championship Series bid. The team's progress came to light a week ago, when it beat Virginia, 35-0, in front of a national television audience.

TAMPA, Fla. - Vice President Al Gore barnstormed through Central Florida, the new ground zero of Campaign 2000, hammering George W. Bush yesterday on environmental policy and Social Security privatization, while mocking the Texas governor's claim that he would bring civility to Washington. Gore's trip through the state's midsection, from Orlando to Tampa, underscored how vital Florida has become to both candidates as they scramble for the 270 electoral votes needed to push them over the top on Election Day. The state - where Gov. Jeb Bush is the GOP nominee's brother - was once considered safely Republican.