A dictionary for every road repair crew

St. Petersburg Times ^ | October 10, 2003 | EILEEN SCHULTE

[Dog Gone]

One misspelled construction sign was enough to send Barbara Santin straight to the governor. Now that there are two, what's Bush and company going to do?

---

		One of two misspelled construction signs, about a mile apart in Clearwater. This one was at N Fort Harrison Avenue and Iroquois Street.
[Times photo: Jim Damaske]

		[Photo courtesy of Tom Santin]
		The original misspelled sign, spotted by Barbara and Tom Santin a few days ago on N Fort Harrison Avenue.

CLEARWATER - Barbara and Tom Santin were cruising down Edgewater Drive a few days ago after an evening in Dunedin when they saw it in big orange letters.

"EXSPECT DELAYS." "I said,"Oh my God, look at how they've got that sign spelled!' " she said. "We got hysterical."

The sign is what the state Department of Transportation calls a "variable message board." It flashes warnings to motorists about road construction projects.

Mrs. Santin, remembering "all the controversy about the money for education," made up her mind.

The retiree sent her husband to take a photo of the sign. Then she jotted an e-mail to Gov. Jeb Bush.

She wrote, "Please see attached......and you think we don't need more money for education!!!!!!!" She attached the photo and sent the e-mail. Any response?

"I got an automated reply," Mrs. Santin said.

It was polite.

From Bush: "Thank you for your e-mail . . . I am currently experiencing a large volume of e-mails, and your questions will be answered as soon as possible. I appreciate hearing from concerned citizens like you. Please feel free to continue to keep me informed on issues that are important to you."

Then she called the St. Petersburg Times.

A reporter and a photographer visited the scene, N Fort Harrison Avenue and Sunset Point Road. But the sign was gone.

"I think Jeb called and said, "Get that sign fixed,' " said Mrs. Santin, laughing.

But the photographer spotted a sign that Mrs. Santin had missed a few blocks away at N Fort Harrison Avenue and Iroquois Street.

"NIGHTLY LANE CLOSEING BEGIN OCT 8."

What? Two misspelled variable message boards within a mile of each other?

Mrs. Santin wasn't surprised.

"I see misspellings a lot, even in the paper," she said.

Our paper?

"Yes," she said.

But we use spellcheck.

"Well, I see them," she said.

But the sign was foremost in her mind.

A call to DOT spokeswoman Marian Scorza was placed.

"When you program a message board, you have to go out to the site and punch in the message, like on a computer. There can be typos," she said. "We'll have someone go out and change it."

Scorza said this is the first time she has received a complaint about a misspelled message.

"We appreciate it when people bring it to our attention," she said.

Mrs. Santin was still laughing about the sign on Thursday.

"I just got a kick out of it," she said.

And a personal note to Mrs. Santin: We ran spellcheck on this story three times. And consulted a dictionary, just in case.

[facedown]

I done spel to gud ether.

[Bob]

I think two many people count on spill Czech programs. :=)

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[mrsmith]

"BRIDGE W8 LIMIT 2 TONS"

...won't be long IMHO.

[abbi_normal_2]

Another one for the highway dept - there is a sign close to my driveway that reads "trucks entering hihgway". It's bad enough on an electronic sign...

[Auntie Mame]

Mrs. Santin, remembering "all the controversy about the money for education," made up her mind.

The retiree sent her husband to take a photo of the sign. Then she jotted an e-mail to Gov. Jeb Bush.

She wrote, "Please see attached......and you think we don't need more money for education!!!!!!!" She attached the photo and sent the e-mail. Any response?

Sounds like another Gore voter.

[Dog Gone]

This thread is right up your alley.

[martin_fierro]

[Balding_Eagle]

This thread is right up your alley.

LOL!

[Arthur McGowan]

And where is the EVIDENCE that spending more on government skrools will improve spelling?

[chemicalman]

Recieved this in email once:

"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe."

LMAO

[South40]

[Marauder]

I remember a sign on a freeway in Texas that advised motorists to "Pass with car".

What would one expect now that the federal government is in charge of education?

[strela]

Clearwater FL, eh?

"Scientology Can Help You With That."

[JoeSchem]

One thing I've noticed is that whenever there is an internet post from someone making fun of someone else for being stupid, there is invariably a misspelling or typo in the message.

[Moonmad27]

I hate finding errors in the newspaper, where you'd think they'd be more careful. Most memorable out of many: Earlier this year, an ad in a local paper listed a restaurant's Passover menu - the place was proudly serving "fruit compost" (hopefully they meant "compote").

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Oh, how hilarious. Hahahaha. If I'm ever an old retiree who is amused by such idiotic things, please put me out of my misery.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Sounds like a NY transplant.

[Izzy Dunne]