WJHG - Home Page - Headlines

Governor Scott Says Florida is Open For Business

Isaac passed by Florida leaving pockets of flooding and the state mostly intact. As the storm shifted west, Governor Rick Scott began altering his message to fend off another disaster; a Labor Day weekend without travelers.

“I want to make sure everybody knows this weekend Florida will be opened for business. We are going to have a great tourism weekend this weekend. It’s going to be sunny. We are going to have great fishing. Amusement Parks will be open,” said Governor Scott.

AAA doesn’t expect many cancellations and since Isaac tracked west, calls to their office have picked up.

“It hasn’t put a dent in business at all. People are still traveling,” said AAA Spokeswoman Brenda Smith.

With Isaac no longer a threat to Florida, the new problem is what it left in its path. More than 90 percent of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico shut down and gas prices in Florida have shot up.

Statewide, the average price of a gallon of gas rose eight cent this past week, and calls to the Attorney General’s price gouging hotline are pouring in.

“We are in the process of reviewing all 124 as they come in. About a third of those have been declared, so far, to be unfounded,” said Attorney General Spokesman John Lucas.

Gas prices are expected to stay high through the next two weeks. The spike will impact tourists driving to Florida, but AAA says it won’t deter travelers from coming, only how much they spend.

Scott traveled to the Florida Keys today as part of his mission to let tourists know the state is ready for visitors.


Weather for Panama City, Florida
65° F
Fog
Mon
80 68
Tue
86 68
Wed
82 69
Thu
83 69

Weather Cameras

8195 Front Beach Road Panama City Beach, FL 32407 Station: 850-234-7777 News: 850-230-5221 Fax: 850-233-6647
Gray Television, Inc. - Copyright © 2002-2013 - Designed by Gray Digital Media - Powered by Clickability
User Agent: CCBot/2.0 - 167889615