GoneWest,
>What troubled me is that neither Tampa Approach nor Orlando Approach would respond to the calls for help on 121.5 (until I did).
That is regretful, but for example at my facility, we get bleed over on 121.5 and our ATIS whenever FSS talks to a pilot on 121.2, we hear a lot of pilots that are accidentally transmitting pattern work on 121.5 at nearby uncontrolled airports, and air carriers trying to call their operations. What happens is that some controllers tune out 121.5 until they hear something that sounds like a real emergency, and a few controllers turn 121.5 off because all the excess calls on it become such a distraction.
Now in Orlando and Tampa's case maybe they were waiting to hear a position report so that they would know if they should answer.
Mike