Emergency operations center design funding

1:24:03What this one is is our p uh we'd like to build a more advanced centrally located uh P S O C Currently, we're right here. Uh is where our emergency operations uh management office is located. It's 50. It's up there in years, one of the oldest in the state of Florida. Uh also in the flood zone. Uh good uh Early on we said this was always going to be a big ticket item. We need to work on this. We talked about this every year. We're

1:24:33a large county. Let's move this in to f uh a central location. We already have the land over in Land Lakes next to our jail. uh and and behind our utilities uh facility. But what we would do is uh create a a facility which would house our emergency operations center, our emergency management, our 911. Uh our fire rescue administration, traffic operations. one central location uh to have that.

1:25:04Um we are seeking design costs right now. We're still in the early phases and move forward with the design. We have uh a match on that. Uh currently the design is uh twenty million dollars. Uh we received uh money from the feds, uh three uh million dollars, which we were grateful for last year. And so we're seeking uh four million dollars so we can complete the design. Uh uh and then move forward. Know that this is a long going project. You know, we'd this would be one where we'd

1:25:34come back and say, now we need to start talking about um the construction cost. This is funds we'll also seek again from the federal government to help with those offset those costs. Uh but that is our goal.

1:25:49If I could just add to that, um there is there is a typo I think in your in your area there. Uh local local funds expended to date right now are about one and a half million. This is just on the design portion. As Ralph says, this is a marathon. Uh we know it's a very expensive ask overall. You know, we will continue to work with the federal government, our federal delegation as well on this. But I think Kevin Guthrie put it put it pretty clearly that we we have one of the oldest DOCs in the state and for the operations and I you know we're we're finding places

1:26:19I can't even I can't even bed people down. uh in in our areas when we have to ri ride out storms and I think as I mentioned at the beginning we it we didn't think it would have survived a Milton in its current state. We actually contemplated moving moving out east, which would have meant moving our 911 center, which would have meant moving our our EOC operations and those things. So it's a very important facility that we have here on this campus, but we think consolidating our public safety operations in a singular point, whether that's Land O' Lakes somewhere in this county, we're we're

1:26:49we're still uh we we know that we have a lot a lot of work to do but getting the design done gets you that much closer to shovel ready which is really what our objective here is on this and so it's uh it's pretty important to us. Uh we wanna we want to push forward on it and as I mentioned before. This is the new normal and so I think getting there, sir.

1:27:06What is different from this and what the share's building up. It is trained

1:27:12I'm sorry, I missed the first part of the question center.

1:27:16Uh I think you toured the sheriff's facility at the what's the difference between what's the difference between what you're looking to do and what you're looking for.

1:27:27So so the sheriff the sheriff has got his operations, so kinda look at it this way. The emergency operations center runs the entire the entire county. Um Every tactical organization has their own separate command centers, right? My fire guys operate, my utilities guys operate, Duke Energy operates, they're they're tactical, they're they're tactical centers. So that's more of his tactical center to operate his complete operations. He still maintains a residency in our EOC, so our EOC coordinates with his EOC. And so that's

1:27:57that's kind of how the command structure works. We don't get into the into the tactics of day to day. I'm gonna stage this, this, this, and this year. So that's that's his that's his well, I'll call his his uh a different term for the military, but that's sort of his his area that he would function there. We are offering, and we'll have the discussion on whether or not he wants to consolidate his operations there. That would be his choice, of course, if he wants to do that. Um So wish to consolidate other key county functions there, traffic

1:28:27operations, we would put 911 communications there, our fire rescue, et cetera. So similar to what you see down in Pinellas County with their with their coordinated uh system in Hillsborough County. I know many of you have toured that.

1:28:39Have you toured the Pinellas County EOC? Yeah, so have you seen ours? I've

1:28:45seen this. I haven't seen yours. That's that's

1:28:47you have to

1:28:48share specifically. Please go across the right over there. And blood zone we don't I don't care what it looks like. We need to get rid of it. It's not it's it's

1:28:55it's gosh.

1:28:57And I think we can only withstand like a her a category three, right?

1:29:00Three to four, it just depends. We'll start losing some cladding. But so um

1:29:04We

1:29:04couldn't have our

1:29:06the the local match is one and a half, not thirty-one and a half.

1:29:12Yeah, that's that's uh yeah, that that was type. That's that's what we've spent to date. We've committed to date, but we will continue as we advance design.

1:29:22with

1:29:22Okay.

1:29:23that three iron clay. So Okay.

1:29:27Damn chair.

1:29:28Yes.

1:29:29So and to say t we're looking at the best alternatives as well. I mean we just had the sheriff move over to a new building, another building here, the old jails there, right across from where the US is right now. Uh and again cat three, cat four. One of the other problems that we had in there is we hit we didn't have enough room for electrical companies to be in there. Sometimes you try to like have a meeting within a meeting. Also things are going on, presentations and the way that building setup is so difficult to go from spot to spot. If they set up a giant room around, kinda

1:29:59like and just had r surrounding rooms it might be a lot easier. But again, we've got to get it to Cat Five. Um to just to be safe 'cause you don't want to move. I r actually like it on this side better just 'cause you're closer to the action. or h if we mi build it high enough, which we can, it's more the secure walls that we need. Um Staff's gonna be looking off between this here we have a nodding in facility as well as on the lakes. We're gonna look at the best way we can go do it but We do

1:30:25need to get the study going. And if I could add, and I know that House Representative Maggard has their rule, don't don't forget too, we're stacking. We've got federal money we're bringing to the table on this as well, so I think there's some unique opportunities for us to really leverage those dollars.

1:30:41So who's who's

1:30:42filing this

1:30:42bill?

1:30:44It's an appropriations request. We wanted to talk about this before we move forward. We don't even know if this is one you all would even entertain moving forward. You'll be work yeah, they'll be working on that. But but again at the end of the day, you know, we knew that we can get all eight. We gotta figure out what you all feel is something that we should move forward with. That's what we were hoping you all gave us that input on.

1:31:08Last the last session we got the sheriff half of his need for his project at the training center. And um I think the entire delegation is sorta committed that the second half of that would be a priority this session. So I I believe that's still to be quite that we want to make sure that he completes his piece that he needs.

1:31:34Yeah. I was shocked when I went to see Hillsboro County's Emergency Operations Center and compared it to ours. I I just Thir we're thirty years behind maybe? I I don't know. Um If you if and I I heard the Penales one is better and more and newer than the Hillsborough one and Hillsborough is already expanding theirs. So uh every every um player is at the at the table with their

1:32:04screen with their vest that says who they represent. Um so organized and we just we don't have space for everybody that we need in ours. And um and then they're feeding uh the responders. So they have those commercial kitchens and they're rolling out um meals because they're all spending the night there. I we we have to bring in ours. I don't even know how they How everyone eats an Ari, you'll see. I think our our fire chief wanted to say something. Go

1:32:34ahead, Commissioner Oakley. I know Commissioner Oakley toured both of 'em.

1:32:38Well I I toured both of them. I wish he should been at St. Pete to see that one. 'Cause it was amazing how large it was and how well it could take care of all the different divisions and parts of EOC. Um they built out ahead so they have several years ahead of them to fill that space up they got then we went to Hillsborough and we found out that they uh robusting it seems 'cause they only built to what

1:33:08they needed at the time. So within a short I think it's been five years, probably, they're already breaking out walls and expanding theirs in Hillsborough. Whereas Saint P a long time for, you know, moving into theirs and getting they will grow into it but it'll take a while. But they had all the facilities for betting people down, showers, restrooms, everything that you need. Plus all the accommodations of rooms set

1:33:38off from the main room. for the different departments for sheriff, fire, different departments that are part of that. So it's very very important and we we're busting it seems. There's no room for a lot of people. He Duke wasn't even present 'cause there's not much room every day. They were one of the electric companies that we needed to be in contact with closely. All they had was a number you'd call. But it's uh

1:34:06There's our fire chief Gwen Sank.