Floridians relieved as Ernesto weakens upon arrival to coast

MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Ernesto sloshed rather than slammed ashore, surprising forecasters by failing to strengthen Tuesday as it approached Florida and providing relief to hurricane-weary residents.\nBriefly a hurricane Sunday, Ernesto lost much of its punch crossing mountainous eastern Cuba. The storm crossed the Florida Straits with top sustained winds of 45 mph and was expected to move through Florida overnight as a weak tropical storm.\nThat was good news for Florida, the victim of seven hurricanes since 2004.\n"Frankly, I am surprised it has not strengthened," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center. "But for all those thousands and thousands of people with blue-tarped roofs, that's good news. ... As a homeowner, I'm very happy. As a forecaster, I'm not very happy."\nThe storm contributed to at least one death: A Miami woman died after her car hydroplaned off an expressway and hit a palm tree, authorities said.\nWhen the threat of damaging winds abated, rain became the biggest concern, and police distributed thousands of sandbags in the low-lying Miami suburb of Sweetwater. Five to 10 inches of rain was possible, forecasters said.\nSome 36 hours earlier, officials had feared much worse. In the Keys, Monroe County Emergency Management Director Irene Toner smiled as she watched steady rain fall.\n"This is great," she said. "Compared to what it could have been, we are fortunate."\nOn Miami Beach, usually vibrant Lincoln Road was quiet, and many businesses closed early. Among those finding food at an Italian restaurant was actor Mickey Rourke with his dog Loki, wearing a pink argyle sweater.\n"What storm?" Rourke said. "This is nothing."\nThe state had been ready to respond with 500 National Guard members and another 500 state law enforcement officers.\n"This does not look like a catastrophic event, but we always want to be ready," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in Tallahassee. He attended Hurricane Katrina anniversary events earlier in the day in Louisiana and Mississippi.\nErnesto was forecast to move up the middle of the state and exit on the northeast coast by early Thursday, moving into the Atlantic and potentially gaining hurricane strength before hitting Georgia or the Carolinas.\nNASA scrubbed Tuesday's launch of Atlantis. The space agency began moving the shuttle back to its hangar to protect it from the storm, then reversed course later in the day when forecasters predicted that winds would not be as severe as initially feared.\n"It is always difficult to forecast intensity," Mayfield said. "We've been very honest with people about that."\nTropical storm watches or warnings remained in effect for much of coastal Florida. A hurricane watch was posted for the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas.