TAMPA, Fla. — State officials are stressing to Floridians that there's still time to evacuate if you haven't done so as Hurricane Ian approaches — and hotels remain available if you need somewhere to go.
During a press conference Tuesday evening with Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie outlined a bit of what the hotel situation is currently looking like in the state.
Guthrie said the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association is providing real-time information on hotel availability, and to this point, they "have not come to us and said there is no vacancy, in essence."
He directed residents who are evacuating from coastal zones to expedia.com/florida to search for hotels.
"There's vacancy in the state of Florida," Guthrie said.
Florida hotel availability
For Tampa residents evacuating, there are further inland cities such as Lakeland, Orlando and, farther to the north, Gainesville or Tallahassee to head toward if they don't plan on leaving the state.
Leaving the state and going toward the west to avoid the projected path of Ian, there's also availability in cities such as Dothan, Ala., Montgomery, Ala., Mobile, Ala., and Columbus, Ga.
Searching on the Expedia site, here's an outline of some availability:
- Lakeland: Hotel availability running out, with rooms for $119 a night at the La Quinta Inn & Suites just about gone. Varying condo availability, some of which is lakeside and probably not where you want to go.
- Orlando: Rooms as low as $75 a night at several different kinds of hotels, as well as availability in the $90-$100 a night range.
- Gainesville: Motel availability more limited, some in the $85 a night range.
- Tallahassee: Varying roadside motel options as low as $55-$60 a night.
- Dothan, Ala.: Motel 6 rooms as low as $54 a night, with several other motel options up to $70.
- Montgomery, Ala.: Motel 6 rooms available at $55 a night, several other options in the $70-$80 a night range.
- Mobile, Ala.: Days Inn availability at $62 a night, decent range of other availability below $70 a night.
- Columbus, Ga.: Super 8 availability at $63 a night, some more availability below $80.