Florida's 27 electoral votes are the most of any swing state in the nation, and it is expected this state will be just as crucial as it was in the 2000 election when a razor-thin margin led President Bush to the White House. But citizens have been too busy preparing, then recovering from four hurricanes to pay much attention to politics.

With barely four weeks to go before the Nov. 2 election, that will change.

"I'm grateful that today, a week away from the storm, you're here to listen," Democratic candidate John Kerry said Saturday during a speech on domestic policy.

Kerry delivered his remarks at Freedom High School in south Orlando, an area battered by the passages of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne. Blue tarps cover the tops of countless houses nearby and many businesses have yet to replace signs blown out by gusts topping 100 mph.

Siddiqui Mahmoot, 47, lives a mile away form the school in a home that sustained $25,000 in damage. Although interested in getting Kerry elected, he can't help but think the hurricanes will affect the election.

"Most people in this area don't have roofs," Mahmoot said. "Some people are looking to survive before they do any other activities to get involved, like volunteering or voting."

The hurricanes had the effect of "freezing" the Florida campaigns of Bush and Kerry for six weeks, Kerry spokesman Matt Miller said. People simply didn't care about the election because their attention was glued to warnings, watches and recovery efforts.

"Bush's acceptance speech at the convention was pre-empted in Miami, Orlando and West Palm Beach," Miller said of the broadcast networks' coverage. "One of the defining moments in the Bush campaign, people in Florida didn't see it."

Not true, said one of the few Bush backers attending Kerry's speech. Sean Arago and his sister fled Orlando for South Florida before Hurricane Jeanne, and it was there they watched the convention.

"When you're locked inside for three or four days, you tend to flip over to FOX News," said Arago, 27.

As for the candidates delivering their messages in personal settings, Bush visited Florida after each storm and Kerry came twice, but overtly political events were kept to a minimum.

The hurricanes also limited exposure and fund-raising for candidates lower on the ballots.

"What can you do when people are spending money on generators and wet vacs?" asked Susan Clary, a candidate for Orange County's soil and water conservation district.

Now that the skies have cleared, Floridians should expect the pace to quicken.

"John Kerry and John Edwards will be in Florida a lot between now and November 2," Miller said.

But how will Floridians react?

"My house has a hole in it and that's a distraction," said Russ Russell, a precinct captain for the Democratic Party. "But at the same time, this is a very important task."

___

October 2, 2004 - 3:09 p.m. EDT