As he looks ahead to hosting next year's Republican National Convention, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is upbeat, but blunt.

"The only thing that could make our life miserable is a hurricane," he said last week.

That's possible, but not likely.

The chance of a hurricane hitting Tampa Bay the week of the convention are probably less than 1 percent, a National Hurricane Center scientist estimates.

Still, it's not zero. So Buckhorn vows Tampa will not be caught off-guard. There will be, he said, no Katrina-style chaos.

"I want to make sure we practice and practice and practice until we're ready," he said. "This is not New Orleans, and I am not Ray Nagin."

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