| During the early part of World War II, the U. S. War Department leased many Florida hotels and apartments to house Air Forces personnel who were displaced by training Army Air Forces units. In June, 1942, the War Department announced that because many of the Army Air Forces units were being moved overseas, they would begin tapering off the Army's temporary use of civilian properties the following month. Some citizens of the cities involved were concerned about the economic impact the Army's move would have on their cities. In response to this, William D. Outman sent a statement to the St. Petersburg Times newspaper, which appeared on page 1 of the June 20, 1943 edition: |
Outman Urges City to Forget Calamity Complex"While Senators Pepper and Andrews and Congressman Peterson have done everything possible to keep St. Petersburg hotels under military occupancy, yet we have all known that eventually the orders would come to march. "Speaking as a citizen of St. Petersburg now that the blow has fallen, I class it as another Florida calamity that will prove a blessing. The Miami area will continue as military as will Daytona, Palm Beach and others. Elsewhere in the state, tourists cannot find a place to enter owing to crowded conditions. Only St. Petersburg and Sarasota will be available to tourist influx and this winter should prove to be the best tourist season for our city. We are already working for other stop-gap matters which coupled with demand for all available labor should render much available for thanksgiving. My advice to St. Petersburg is to throw the calamity complex out the window, pull in tin cup, take off the blue glasses and go to work cashing in on the opportunities at hand. |