Larry Gispert began his career with Hillsborough County in 1971 as a part-time employee with what was then the Parks & Recreation Department. He moved to the Emergency Preparedness Department in 1980, now the Emergency Management Department, and has been its director since 1993.

Gispert has served as president of the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association in 2000. He also holds certification from this organization as a Florida Professional Emergency Manager. He is currently serving as president of Region IV (southeast states) for the International Association of Emergency Managers.

He attended Tampa Technical institute where he studied radio and television technology and completed his bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Tampa.