SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
Public safety has a perception problem Often a perception gap exists between how safe city dwellers feel and their statistical risk of victimization. Right now, however, it’s exceptionally wide. PAGE 10
— Akron Decides Survey, 2023 GETTY IMAGES
51%
A majority of survey respondents said they feel less safe now than a few years ago.
Increase in storms, tornadoes impact insurance rates Inflation hits harder than downed trees, experts say By Stan Bullard
Five tornadoes ripping through Northeast Ohio in a single day in August will join the storm that killed five people in 1968 at Edgewater Beach and Lakewood Park and the blizzard of 1978 in the region's collective weather memory. And tornadoes are becoming more frequent. Besides an outbreak last August similar to this year's across Northeast Ohio, the entire state has seen a record number of tornadoes this year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ohio currently ranks 7th in the nation with 78 reported tornadoes this year, ahead of states typically more
prone to twisters, like Oklahoma (74) and Alabama (45). However, the downed trees and days without power will not be a major factor in the prospect of rising Cleveland- and Akronarea insurance rates, as experts say that's on the way due to inflation and, of course, wildfires in the West and hurricanes in the South. Although insurance costs are still being tallied from recent storms — which would drive insurer requests for rate hikes through the Oho Department of Insurance — experts say the storms were still substantial. Tim Hrobat, president of Hrobat Insurance in Parma, said, "In my little agency, we had more than $1 million in claims from the storm Aug. 6. I don't believe that we have seen that before here." See INSURANCE on Page 16
VOL. 45, NO. 35 l COPYRIGHT 2024 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
A rendering shows the inside of the Browns’ proposed domed stadium in Brook Park. | CLEVELAND BROWNS
What would Browns tickets cost at Brook Park stadium?
It's complicated — and the team says its too soon to give any numbers By Joe Scalzo
Last month, two Cleveland City Council members, Kris Harsh and Danny Kelly, briefly made headlines by conducting an admittedly unscientific poll of Cleveland Browns fans. Over the course of two home preseason games, they asked more than 3,000 fans a simple question: Should the Browns stay in Cleveland or go to Brook Park? The result? Just under 60% said they should stay.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns have conducted their own survey, with owner Dee Haslam telling reporters in July: “A casual survey says they’re real excited about Brook Park, but you know, that’s not very scientific. So I don’t know.” The problem, of course, is that “Stay or go?” is too simple a question. A better one might be: “Would you rather the Browns do a $1 billion renovation of the lakefront stadium that includes $500 million in public financing, or
build a $2.4 billion dome in Brook Park that includes $1.2 billion in public financing, plus another $500 million or so in publicly financed infrastructure upgrades?” But even that doesn’t go far enough, since there’s another unknown variable: How much more would fans have to pay for things like tickets, parking, concessions and merchandise at the Brook Park dome compared to the lakefront stadium? See STADIUM on Page 16