Permanent construction of the sort Flagler was referring…
““Permanent construction of the sort Flagler was referring to would not come cheaply, however. Early in 1910, Flagler wrote to John Carrere, designer of the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, that repairing the damage caused by the hurricane had actually cost him $1 million, and reiterated that it had taught him a valuable lesson about upgrading the quality of the work. He estimated that it would require at least another $9 million to push the track to Key West, a figure that did not include the costs of a terminal and docking facilities.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Florida Project by Les Standiford, 1992
Flagler’s costly upgrades illustrate that improving infrastructure after disaster demands massive investment and foresight.
In simple terms: Big repairs need big money and planning.
Key Takeaway
Plan for long‑term resilience.
Themes
infrastructure
risk management
investment
history
engineering
Mood
reflective
cautious
Type
analytical
historical
When to use this quote
- urban development
- transportation planning
- historical case studies
Key Concepts
Cost‑benefit analysis
disaster preparedness
public‑private partnerships
Questions to Reflect On
- What lessons do modern projects draw from past overruns?
- How can we better forecast disaster‑related expenses?
A Different Perspective
Historical costs may be under‑estimated, leading to budget overruns.