Sanford businesses mired in a funk: "Forces of nature have collided with market forces in downtown Sanford, and the results have been as ugly as the construction work that has torn up the city's main street.

"Hurricanes Charley and Frances demolished many business' profits in August and September. Now, it looks like Hurricane Jeanne could cut even further into their normally lucrative weekend business.

"But shop owners and restaurateurs in downtown Sanford have struggled with obstacles before and since the hurricanes. They have endured a triple whammy: • the storms, which forced them to close up shop; • the closing of First Street to traffic for a streetscape project; and • National Weather Service predictions that the rising St. Johns River would cause 'major flood damage in Sanford' earlier this week."