Jennings surveys hometown: ‘It’s hard’

Buzzing over treetops in a Florida National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings looked down Saturday on Orlando, her hometown that was bruised and battered by Hurricane Charley.

“It’s hard, but wherever you go you have to feel for people when they go through something like this,” Jennings said.

Like a tour guide, Jennings could point out Belle Isle, Conway and parts of Winter Park, neighborhoods where Charley caused a lot of damage.

While Jennings was in Central Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush was touring Charlotte County, scene of the worst devastation.

“I’m a Democrat, but I love the fact that she’s here,” said Theresa Gentile, 55, a former teacher who spent Friday night at a shelter in southwest Orange County’s Dr. Phillips High School.

With much of Central Florida still without electricity, Jennings quietly acknowledged that residents will soon grow frustrated. But she played down the risk of political liability.

“This is not about politics. It’s about helping people,” Jennings said. “But we know we will be judged by the job we do.”

Before television cameras at the Orange County emergency operations center, Jennings also sought to assure the public that the Governor’s Office had done all it could to warn Floridians of the storm’s danger. In a brief, on-camera appearance, Jennings repeated on five separate occasions that the state was prepared for the storm.

On the ground, Jennings was quick to offer help.

“Is there anything else on your wish list?” she asked, speaking with Osceola County Commission Chairman Ken Shipley by cell phone.

Jennings had planned appearances at the Osceola County emergency center and at a nursing home in Polk County. But afternoon thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes cut short her visit. The Black Hawk was aimed back toward Tallahassee after stopping at the Orange County emergency center, Dr. Phillips and completing an aerial tour of the county.

John Kennedy can be reached at jkennedy@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.