Larry Gispert Quotations

Life could be very, very different if we get hit by a major hurricane.

It is going to be absolutely miserable. You will have no electricity, no water, nothing to eat. You will be in 95-degree temperatures, 90 percent humidity, and even if your house survives you're not going to have the normal utility service.

We have a limited amount of resources, so we do need to maximize where they go. So we will gladly participate with the city and plan for those efforts. We love all 1.1 million of those people out there.

A worst-case evacuation tells us 487,000 people in Hillsborough County alone would have to seek shelter. Out of Pinellas County, 550,000 people. Between the two counties ... we'd put a million people on the road. Those pictures we saw of New Orleans, we're looking at Tampa.

It's a way to help our own and those who come here in need. If we're not capable of responding at a local level, we can't help anybody else.

It's already happening. You can't find a hotel room along I-75 and 275.

They were all built from 1920 to yesterday, and you can only assume that most of the buildings were built in compliance with the Florida building code. Most were built to withstand 100 mph winds.

This is knee-jerk, because of Katrina. It is unnecessary. We do this once or twice a year because of hurricanes. Some parts of the country never had these problems, or don't have any plans. Our plans are well-tested, well-refined.