Bill Ullman's blood is boiling over the possibility that he may not be able to get to his downtown Miami law office during next month's free trade summit.
City of Miami officials have been meeting with downtown businesses for months warning of street closures, traffic tie-ups and protests that are expected when the Free Trade Area of the Americas trade ministers convene their meeting Nov. 20 and 21. Problems are expected to start earlier in the week because of a related American Business Forum.
''How can they close down commerce?'' said Ullman, a sole practitioner whose office is in the Wachovia Financial Center, where he's already endured traffic problems from movies filmed downtown and the Grand Prix. ``My business shouldn't be curtailed because they want to have this meeting downtown. I pay a lot for rent and secretaries. I have to be here to earn money and pay for all this stuff. Plus, I have work to get done.''
Ullman is not alone in his frustration. The decision on how to cope with the fallout from the FTAA meetings has forced many business leaders to put into practice hurricane-like disaster plans to protect the estimated 120,000 people who work downtown. Some are temporarily relocating employees to other offices or letting them work from home, while others are considering closing.
But Miami Police Department spokesmen say they are not urging businesses to close or relocate for the week.
''The plan is that every businessperson, every merchant, everyone shopping in the area can still get to their place of business,'' said police spokeswoman Herminia Salas-Jacobson. ``We're not trying to shut them down.''
Rachlin Cohen & Holtz doesn't want to take any chances. The accounting firm plans to relocate about half of the 100 employees who normally work in the downtown Miami office at 1 SE Third Ave. During the week of the trade meetings, employees will work in the firm's Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach offices. When possible, members of the auditing department will work at a client's office. It helps that all accountants at the firm are equipped with personal laptops.
SUPPORT STAFF
Remaining in the Miami office will mainly be support staff who will be urged to come to work early and leave late.
''We can't have people who need to serve clients stuck in traffic or out in the middle of a mob when a client calls,'' said Butch Gelnovapch, chief operating officer of Rachlin Cohen & Holtz. ``To the extent we can mitigate things by having people work out of the office, that's the only thing we can do. It would be disastrous to shut down our operations for a week. That's not possible.''
A similar problem faces the staff of the Daily Business Review, which still must put out the newspaper regardless of whether they can get into its offices at 1 SE Third Ave. The newspaper is trying to have as many employees as possible work from its Fort Lauderdale office or out of their homes. The paper will also stake out temporary work quarters in nearby hotels.
''If there's any possibility we might not have access to the building, I can't run the risk of not being prepared for that,'' said Chris Mobley, publisher of the Daily Business Review. ``We have to plan for the worst case and hope for the best case.''
The Bankers Club plans to tough it out and remain open for breakfast and lunch the entire week, unless it becomes a safety problem, said John Collier, general manager of the private club in 1 Biscayne Tower on Southeast First Street.
''We have an obligation to our members to stay open if we possibly can,'' Collier said.
But some businesses have decided not to take the chance of staying open.
Tom Lehman, managing partner of law firm Tew Cardenas, says city officials have painted such a bleak picture of what it will be like downtown that the firm is tentatively planning on closing Nov. 20 and 21. Attorneys who have deadlines will be expected to work from home or they will arrange to borrow space from a firm in Coral Gables or Fort Lauderdale.
''I don't want to risk the safety of people to be open in a downtown where most people are closed,'' said Lehman, whose offices are at the Miami Center, 201 S. Biscayne Blvd.
Charlie Ghantous, manager of Premo's Subs, said the sandwich shop will lose thousands of dollars to the FTAA summit. At the corner of Southeast Third Avenue and First Street in the heart of downtown, Premo's normally does a brisk lunch business, but it will be closed for the entire week of summit events.
`IT'S A NIGHTMARE'
''It's a nightmare for us, I hate it, but even the cops suggested that we close the whole week,'' he said. ``I'm going to pull down the hurricane shutters and send everyone home. It's not easy for us, money-wise. First the [Grand Prix] race, and now this. Downtown can't handle this.''
Hernan Velez, manager of the Mail and Business Center in the Northwest Capital, has decided to try to turn the FTAA into a business opportunity. He will stay open and market his services to protesters who might need the Internet or copiers to print fliers.
''I'll stay open all night if that's what they want,'' Velez said. ``I just can't afford to close.''
Herald staff writer Susannah A. Nesmith contributed to this report.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NoNonsense English offers this material non-commercially for research and educational purposes. I believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, i.e. the media service or newspaper which first published the article online and which is indicated at the top of the article unless otherwise specified.