Don't play with numbers or lives  

Did he or didn't he?

The “he” in this case is Monroe County Administrator Tom Willi.

The question being asked is how truthful was he in answering questions from the Governor and Cabinet about hurricane evacuation times in the Keys.

And, as everyone knows, evacuation times are one of the key elements the state weighs in deciding if Monroe County has passed its work plan as an Area of Critical State Concern.

Willi was in Tallahassee last week for the Cabinet meeting along with newly-elected Monroe County Mayor Mario Di Gennaro and District 5 County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy.

Murphy took the microphone and shared her own puzzlement about where an 18-hour evac time came from and what it meant.

Gov. Jeb Bush, who was chairing his last Cabinet meeting, got a rise from the room when he quipped: “And you're the county commissioner.”

 It was not meant as a slight, but it sure underscores the confusion over this evacuation issue.

The County Administrator cited a 2005 change to the county's comprehensive plan that included the 18-hour evacuation time.

But, Willi has spent the past week or more trying to explain what exactly is in the comp plan document and what appears in backup material prepared by staff.

It's not hard to see how the 24 hours became 18 hours once tourists and residents of mobile home parks are evacuated early. But no amount of explaining removes the obvious conclusion that numbers can be manipulated.

What hurts is a loss of credibility, which impacts the county in its dealings with the state.

While on this subject, however, let's also make it clear that having politicians making decisions about life safety is not the wisest course.

We invite readers to see what experts with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center had to say when interviewed by our Key West Bureau Chief Alyson Crean:

“The idea of clearance time going down is contrary to the growth pattern we're seeing,” said Matt Strahan, meteorologist in charge at the Key West office of the National Weather Service. His report, published last Saturday and still available at www.keynoter.com, notes that Hurricane Rita in September, 2005 passed just a few miles off Key West as a Category 2 storm. It grew into a Category 5 killer packing winds above 175 mph just 12 hours later as it churned toward the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

That was a very narrow escape for the Keys and argues for adhering to the 24-hour rule no matter what politicos have to say.

Any other stance takes the risk of playing with people's lives.