Hurricane Hysteria
            
             Florida's four hurricanes in the summer of 2004 were unforgiving and relentless. Acres of citrus and other agricultural products were destroyed. The state's most important industry was grounded to a halt by keeping tourists away from its sandy beaches and fantasy-filled theme parks. Thousands of people lost jobs. Until this year, many Floridians had never experienced a hurricane. Then came Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. For the first time in recorded history, four hurricanes slammed the Sunshine State in a single season. Residents suffered without power for days. They cleaned up mountains of debris and thousands of downed trees. And some saw their homes damaged or destroyed. With an estimated 50 billion dollars in damage to public and private property, including over 20 billion in insured losses that could make them the nation's costliest natural disasters.
             Florida's economy is predominately based on tourism. Warm weather for the majority of the year and many miles of untainted beaches provide a thriving vacation spot for travelers from around the world. The large Walt Disney World theme park and resort complex, located near Orlando, drives the economy of that area, along with more recent entries into the theme park arena such as the Universal Studios. The great amount of sales tax revenue is what allows the state to be one of the few to not levy a personal income tax. Other major industries include citrus fruit and juice production, banking, and phosphate mining. With the arrival of the space program at Kennedy Space Center in the 1960s, Florida has attracted a large number of aerospace and military industries to the state. For the few weeks the hurricanes hit, the entire Florida economy came to a screeching halt. Theme parks were closed, farming and agriculture were ruined, even the air flights to Florida were canceled that denied more tourists to come into the state. Residents of the Sunshine ...