Fla. loss exposes Dems" disarray on Obamacare

Jolly’s win has many Democrats worried about how to talk about Obamacare. | AP Photo

Democrats can’t even agree whether Obamacare was the reason for their crushing loss in a Florida special election Tuesday.

Now picture how their messaging plan for the health care law is shaping up for 2014.

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Republican lobbyist David Jolly’s victory over Democrat Alex Sink has many Democrats privately worried and publicly split about how to talk about Obamacare.

(Also on POLITICO: Full health care policy coverage)

A few Democrats are advocating a drastic rhetorical shift to the left, by criticizing their own party for not going far enough when it passed the law in 2010.

Other Democrats plan to sharply criticize the Affordable Care Act when running for re-election.

Many plan to stick to the simple message that Obamacare is flawed and needs to be fixed —a tactic that plainly didn’t work for Sink.

Taken together, the Democratic Party is heading into an already tough election year divided — instead of united — on the very issue Republicans plan to make central to their campaigns.

The political tug of Obamacare is neatly encapsulated by Rep. Ron Barber, a Democrat who holds a Tucson, Ariz., area seat. Barber said he’s uncomfortable with his party’s health care message, and added that you “can’t, with a straight face, stand up and say this is a perfect bill.” He wishes Democrats would “be willing to be honest about this legislation and to be willing to point out, and not be defensive, and say what’s good about it and say what we are willing to change.

But illustrating the tension, Martha McSally, Barber’s opponent, appeared at a closed House Republican Conference meeting Wednesday, saying she’s “on offense” against Obamacare, and the Florida results prove her race is winnable.

(Also on POLITICO: Who says lobbyists can’t win?)

Vulnerable members of the president’s party appeared to run from questions about it Wednesday.

Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) — one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents — twice waved off a reporter’s questions. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who will likely face GOP Rep. Cory Gardner in November, said he would prefer to answer a reporter’s question by phone to offer a “coherent” response. But his aides did not later make him available for an interview.

Democrats are concerned the health care law’s approval ratings won’t rebound by the time voters go to the polls in November. Even more significantly, they fear the law’s unpopularity — along with President Barack Obama’s flagging approval ratings — could keep Democrats home in November, according to conversations with several top lawmakers and aides.

Republicans seem to think they’ve struck political gold, but Democrats aren’t even sure how to interpret the loss. A veteran Democratic fundraiser called the loss a “double whammy,” hurting the party with major donors and energizing Republicans. Some senior members of the party say the defeat in a district President Barack Obama won twice means nothing, and Democrats should not fret. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who is likely to have a tight race in November, attributed Sink’s defeat to flood insurance legislation, which played a minor role compared to Jolly’s nearly singular focus on the health care law.

(Florida special election results)

This all comes as Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for a brutal battle for control of Congress this fall. Jolly’s victory over Sink, while not a definitive measure of the political climate, is not a good sign for Obama’s party as voters head to the ballot box in less than eight months. Republicans are expected to make some gains in the midterms, but the results in Florida show Democrats could be facing stiffer headwinds than they thought in protecting their five-seat majority in the Senate and chipping away at Republican control of the House.

“Every off-year election, with the exception of two in our history, has been rough on the president’s party. And last night in Florida was no exception,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who is expected to cruise to victory in his reelection bid this November. “Republicans have decided there’s only one issue. I think they’re wrong — I think they’re going to find that horse won’t cross the finish line.”

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Fla. loss exposes Dems" disarray on Obamacare

A fight in Fla. for national bragging rights

Sink has found herself on the defensive recently, and Jolly has his own vulnerabilities. | AP Photos

Part of an occasional series on the hottest races of the 2014 midterm election.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Voters in a special congressional election next month will decide between an ex-banker who backs Obamacare and a smooth-talking former Washington lobbyist.

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But that uninspiring choice — foisted relentlessly on residents here every time they turn on the TV — doesn’t capture the true stakes of the race. Unfolding in one of the few remaining competitive House districts, the contest has become a proxy battle among the national parties for bragging rights heading into the November midterm election. Democrats are determined to blunt the prevailing wisdom that 2014 is destined to be an electoral bust, possibly ending with Republicans padding their House majority and taking the Senate. Republicans see a chance to deliver an irrefutable statement that momentum this year is on their side.

The vessels for those outsize expectations are Democrat Alex Sink, who fell a percentage point shy of becoming Florida governor in 2010, and Republican David Jolly, who spent more than a decade toiling for the man he’s looking to succeed, the late GOP Rep. Bill Young, before taking up a new career in Washington’s bustling influence industry.

(On the Ground: POLITICO covers the hottest races of 2014)

Each passing day leading up to the March 11 election brings fresh evidence of how badly each side wants a win. Vice President Joe Biden went to Florida on Wednesday to raise money for Sink — a rare foray by the White House into a single House election. Both national parties, plus an array of outside groups, have combined to spend an eye-popping $ 6 million on TV ads, a figure that’s poised to soar over the next four weeks. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio campaigned with Jolly on Monday, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is slated to fundraise for him on Friday.

But the intense national interest also reflects a tightening race. At the outset, Sink, boosted by her high name ID and prodigious fundraising, was seen as the clear front-runner. But with recent polls showing the race closing, Democrats aren’t nearly as confident as they once were, and Republicans aren’t nearly as pessimistic.

Count Sink herself among the worried. On a glum and drizzly Saturday afternoon, the former state chief financial officer sat inside a cramped union hall in one of the district’s abundant strip malls. Asked about her prospects, she marveled at the amount of money Republican groups are spending, which has narrowed the once considerable financial advantage she enjoyed. And she expressed one of her party’s central concerns about 2014: that Republicans are just a lot more fired up than Democrats are.

(Also on POLITICO: Sink, Jolly spar in Florida debate)

“In a special election like this, Republicans are more disciplined about voting, and they’re more frequent voters,” she said. “And in this state, unfortunately, Democrats like to vote in presidential elections and they like to stay home the rest of the time. That’s a lesson I learned four years ago.” In the 2010 midterm, a big election for Republicans nationwide, Sink lost a hard-fought race against GOP Gov. Rick Scott, 49 percent to 48 percent, a difference of just over 60,000 votes out of the more than 5 million cast.

She isn’t relishing the national scrutiny, calling all the attention “noise.”

“Unfortunately, we’re the first race of the cycle. That’s why people like you are down here,” she told a reporter. “If this was six months from now, I don’t think you’d be back here to write about my congressional race. So it gives you something to write about.”

(Also on POLITICO: U.S. Chamber of Commerce dings Sink in Florida)

The 13th Congressional District has long been regarded as a political prize: Many call it the foremost swing county in the foremost swing state in the country. The district broke for George W. Bush in 2004, then backed Barack Obama in consecutive presidential elections. Its residents are almost 90 percent white, and are nearly evenly split among Democrats, Republicans and independents. Located in densely populated Pinellas County, an area that hugs Florida’s western coastline, the district encompasses a swath of St. Petersburg and expands outward into its suburbs.

Sink, 65, has found herself on the defensive recently. Like many other Democrats this year, she’s being hammered over Obamacare and portrayed as a steadfast supporter of the president’s policies. It’s a potent attack line in a district where the president’s poll numbers are weak. Republicans like to point to quotes from Sink’s past, like when she came out in support of the president’s health care bill in 2010. The Chamber of Commerce has begun running a TV commercial saying “300,000 Floridians will lose their health insurance because of Obamacare — and Alex Sink supported it. And she still does.”

She has given a nuanced response, saying she wants to fix parts of the Affordable Care Act that aren’t working rather than repeal it completely. Yet Sink often sounds more like a supporter of the law than a critic. In a debate last week, she said some people were “thrilled” with the ACA.

POLITICO – TOP Stories

A fight in Fla. for national bragging rights

Fla. legislator wants to allow warning shots

WFTV
Sept. 28, 2013

A Florida legislator wants to let people fire warning shots if they are threatened.

Polk City Republican Rep. Neil Combee filed a bill Thursday that he says would let people defend themselves without fear of getting arrested.

Combee says he filed the bill (HB 89) as a response to Marissa Alexander and others. The bill would exempt someone from Florida’s “10-20-Life” law if they show their gun or fires a warning shot at an attacker.

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This article was posted: Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 9:26 am

Tags: gun rights, legislation

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Fla. legislator wants to allow warning shots

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Law enforcement officers arrive at a command post near the site of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent “boom after boom after boom” through the neighborhood around it. Several people were injured, with at least three critically injured.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

“Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for,” he said.

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Law enforcement officers arrive at a command post near the site of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent “boom after boom after boom” through the neighborhood around it. Several people were injured, with at least three critically injured.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

“Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for,” he said.

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

No fatalities after Fla. gas plant blast

TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — All workers at a Florida gas plant rocked by a series of explosions have been accounted for after as many as 15 were initially feared killed, authorities say.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that all the workers at the Blue Rhino propane plant had been accounted for and that no fatalities had been reported after explosions hit the plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals.

Herrell earlier had said 15 workers were unaccounted for after the blasts, but all were later found safe.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

A series of major explosions at a Florida gas plant has injured several workers and left others missing.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that 15 people who worked at the Blue Rhino propane plant were still unaccounted for. Herrell’s news conference was carried live by WNET.

The Blue Rhino plant refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

He said a crew of 24 to 26 people were working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred late Monday. He said seven people were injured and transported to a local hospital and two employees escaped unharmed.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air nearly two hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood.

Herrell said officials believe the fire is contained and won’t spread to another part of the plant but they cannot guarantee that.

Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said he was still getting “preliminary information” from local authorities.

The blasts began about 11 p.m.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

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No fatalities after Fla. gas plant blast

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

This frame grab from an Associated Press video shows flames from a gas plant explosion in Tavares City, Fla., Monday July 29, 2013. A series of major explosions at has injured several workers and left others missing. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday night that Tavares City Administrator John Drury said 10 of 24 people working at Blue Rhino, a propane gas plant, have not been accounted for after the blasts. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders says the blasts occurred inside the plant and blew the roof off. The newspaper reports that the blasts began about 11 p.m. and continued for about an hour. (AP Photo)

This frame grab from an Associated Press video shows flames from a gas plant explosion in Tavares City, Fla., Monday July 29, 2013. A series of major explosions at has injured several workers and left others missing. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday night that Tavares City Administrator John Drury said 10 of 24 people working at Blue Rhino, a propane gas plant, have not been accounted for after the blasts. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders says the blasts occurred inside the plant and blew the roof off. The newspaper reports that the blasts began about 11 p.m. and continued for about an hour. (AP Photo)

Map locates Tavares, Fla., where a propane gas plant exploded; 1c x 2 inches; 46.5 mm x 50 mm;

This frame grab provided by WKMG TV shows the fire at the Blue Rhino plant in Tavares City, Fla Tuesday July 30, 2013. A series of major explosions at a Florida gas plant has injured several workers and left others missing. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday night July 29, 2013, that Tavares City Administrator John Drury said 10 of 24 people working at Blue Rhino, a propane gas plant, have not been accounted for after the blasts. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders says the blasts occurred inside the plant and blew the roof off. (AP Photo/WKMG TV)

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — Massive explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant, sending seven people to area hospitals.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

“At this point we have no fatalities being reported,” he said. “Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for.”

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Fla. teacher fired after she put out a fire in the school

Browse > Home / Establishing The Police State, Featured Stories / Fla. teacher fired after she put out a fire in the school

July 27, 2013 by POPEYE  
Filed under Establishing The Police State, Featured Stories

(ANGEL CLARK)   Michelle Hammack, a teacher from Arlington, Fla., was fired last week because she left her classroom to put out an oven fire. The teacher smelled smoke at the Little Temples Childcare School during her student’s naptime. Hammack left her class when she smelled something burning. “I just leaned over and peeked around and there was a fire in the oven,” Hammack said. “I ran in there and opened it to try to put it out, and the fire alarm started going off.” She told CBS Jackonville, “When I got to the third classroom by the kitchen, I could see that it was just a contained fire in the oven.” Hammack returned to her class and evacuated her children a safe distance away from the school. After her children were accounted for she ran back into the building, located a fire extinguisher and headed back to the oven fire. She extinguished and contained the fire before the fire department arrived. The owner, Olga Rozhaov, fired Hammack for leaving her children unattended while she went to track down the smoke. “I fired her only because she left her room,” said Rozhaov.

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Tags: ESTABLISHING THE POLICE STATE, POLICE STATE, SCHOOL, US News

Federal Jack

Fla. teacher fired after she put out a fire in the school

Authorities probe deck collapse at Fla. sports bar

Officials begin their inspection of the outdoor deck that collapsed at Shuckers Bar and Restaurant, Friday, June 14, 2013 . The packed outdoor deck behind the popular Miami-area sports bar partially collapsed during the NBA Finals on Thursday night, sending dozens of patrons into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Officials begin their inspection of the outdoor deck that collapsed at Shuckers Bar and Restaurant, Friday, June 14, 2013 . The packed outdoor deck behind the popular Miami-area sports bar partially collapsed during the NBA Finals on Thursday night, sending dozens of patrons into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

A collapsed deck sits in the water Friday, June 14, 2013, after it collapsed at Shuckers Bar and Restaurant, in Miami. The packed outdoor deck behind the popular sports bar partially collapsed during the NBA Finals on Thursday night, sending dozens of patrons into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

A deck sits in the water Friday, June 14, 2013, after the outdoor deck collapsed at Shuckers Bar and Restaurant, in Miami, Fla. The packed outdoor deck behind the popular Miami-area sports bar partially collapsed during the NBA Finals on Thursday night, sending dozens of patrons into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers are shown in front of the Shuckers Bar and Restaurant, a packed outdoor deck collapsed at the popular Miami-area sports bar, Thursday June 13, 2013. The packed outdoor deck behind the popular Miami-area sports bar partially collapsed during the NBA Finals on Thursday night, sending dozens of patrons into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Miami-Dade fire rescue personnel search for missing persons after a packed outdoor deck collapsed at popular Miami-area sports bar Thursday June 13, 2013. The packed outdoor deck behind the popular Miami-area sports bar partially collapsed during the NBA Finals on Thursday night, sending dozens of patrons into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

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NORTH BAY VILLAGE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities were investigating Friday what caused the outdoor deck at a Miami-area sports bar to collapse, causing dozens of fans watching the NBA finals to plunge into a bay in a chaotic scene that sent 24 people to hospitals.

Many of those hurt had cuts and bruises, though one person suffered a fracture and two were in serious condition, officials said. About 100 people were watching the Miami Heat play the San Antonio Spurs when the deck at Shuckers Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, north of Miami Beach, gave way on Thursday night.

The deck was about 8 to 10 feet above the water’s surface, about the same height as a sea wall that runs along the bay.

Griselle Marino, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, said Shuckers had passed a fire safety inspection in January. She said the restaurant’s main structure had a capacity of 74 people, but the rules for the deck would be enforced separately by North Bay Village city officials.

Marino said it’s largely up to restaurant and bar operators to ensure they don’t go over capacity.

“We can’t be policing every restaurant,” she said.

Friday morning, a small U.S. Coast Guard vessel was anchored off shore. The dock, which collapsed in a v-shape, was strewn with large potted palms, green plastic chairs and tables, and umbrellas. Some flip-flops and cell phones were scattered among sugar packets, mustard bottles and other condiments from the tables.

Structural engineer Morgan Villanueva said Friday as he arrived to inspect the dock that it appears a main beam on the western edge of the dock buckled, creating the collapse.

Villanueva said Florida building codes typically call for a deck that can support about 100 pounds per square foot.

“If people (watching the NBA finals) were excited and jumping, it’s going to be an additional load,” he said.

Right after the collapse, sports bar customers — and later rescuers — helped people from the water amid yelling, crying and a rush to find people who might be submerged.

One witness, Martin Torres, 42, of Los Angeles, said he was inside the sports bar with family and friends when heard what sounded like a loud explosion. At first, he thought a boat had struck the deck. He said he looked outside and saw people staring up from the water, and then he and others started helping them out of the bay.

“It was shock,” said Torres. “People were yelling. Nobody knew. People came out all wet. They were crying. For a while, nobody knows what was going on.”

Israel Marquez, 37, of Bakersfield, Calif., who like Torres was in Florida because he’s scheduled to board a cruise on Friday, said he “heard a big old snap. Boom. Like a shotgun blast.”

Marquez said he looked out at the deck, and “it all came down in slow motion.”

Many people seemed in shock, with cuts and gashes on their faces. He said he went to the edge and helped five or six people from the water before rescuers arrived.

“A lot of people were just shaken up,” added Eric Williams, 42, of Atlanta. He rushed to the scene with his son, and they jumped in to help people after they heard a loud noise from their room at the adjacent Best Western.

He described the scene as “pandemonium,” with people scrambling to get out.

There was initially some concern that people might have been trapped in the water beneath the crumpled deck. But divers searched the waters as helicopters overhead shined spotlights onto the scene, and Downey said later that everyone was accounted for.

“There were a lot of TVs and everybody was in celebration and it was loud. So when it started happening, some people didn’t even realize what was going on,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman Griselle Marino.

Heat player Dwyane Wade said after the game that his thoughts were with the injured fans.

“I’d like to share our concerns as an organization and our gratitude to our fans back in Miami, but share our concerns for all that were injured tonight at Shuckers restaurant,” he said.

North Bay Village is a small island in Biscayne Bay with a strip of restaurants, hotels, houses and condos that is attached by causeways to the mainland and also to Miami Beach. Pouring rain fell early Friday near the Shuckers site, where a reporter later observed pilings sticking out of the water where the deck once stood. Wood, chairs and palm trees were piled together in the water in a scene like after a hurricane.

Although not as trendy as South Beach, North Bay Village is one of the many tourist spots in and around Miami where locals and visitors converge.

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Cormier reported from Atlanta. AP photographer Alan Diaz and Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami, Jackie Quinn in Washington and AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski in San Antonio contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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