State legislatures propose statewide consolidation of 911
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the Sheriff’s statement.
State Sen. Jay Collins and Rep. Shane G. Abbott have each filed identical bills that would consolidate hundreds of 911 call centers across Florida down to 67—only one per county.
Part of the bill seeks to amend 365.171, Florida Statutes, by adding a “unified 911 system” under each county’s sheriff.
It also calls for a single computer-aided dispatching software, commonly referred to as a CAD, “regardless of the agency being dispatched.”
CAD systems are vital to tracking and organizing incoming calls and dispatching calls, but they are also a very important part of data collection that public safety agencies use to track efficiencies like call times or trends in community needs. Sometimes, the information collected in that system, such as call history from a certain address or number, could be used by a public safety agency for investigating a concern.
Other than the name and telephone number of the caller, most of the CAD information is public record.
Currently, in Marion County there are two 911 call centers. The largest one is operated by Marion County and falls under the fire chief, James Banta. However, the sheriff has his own law dispatchers who work from the county 911 center and dispatch their own calls—while the county dispatches everything else.
The second call center is the City of Ocala, operated by the Ocala Police Department, under Police Chief Michael Balken. That center dispatches law and fire and medical calls in the city limits.
As previously reported, experts nationwide have been encouraging the consolidation of emergency communications and the use of a single computer-aided dispatch software; however, the city of Ocala has refused to consider those recommendations despite the county’s consistent stance that public safety would be better served if consolidated working from the same CAD.
Under this bill, municipalities may not opt out of the arrangement. If this bill passes, the city of Ocala’s 911 calls would be handled by the sheriff’s office rather than Ocala Police Department.
The bill requires each county to establish an “executive board” consisting of county government appointments, police departments, and fire rescue for a term of three years that may overrule a decision by the sheriff concerning any operation of the center only by “unanimous vote of all voting members after giving the sheriff 30 days written notice.”
Under this arrangement, the county would provide funding for the call center, which is a separate budget item from the sheriff’s operating budget.
Sheriffs can opt out of operations of a unified 911 call center, but it’s doubtful that Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods would do so since he’s previously suggested that 911 communications be organized under him.
Woods was appointed in 2023 to the state’s Emergency Communications Board and sits on the executive leadership of the Florida Sheriff’s Association. However, his spokesperson wrote, “He did not play any role in the development or promotion of these bills.”
Editor’s Note: This story is ongoing, and as more bill analysis becomes available and committee discussions lead to possible edits of the measure, we’ll file updates. Meanwhile, learn about Marion County’s current emergency communication structure use these links for prior reporting:
Siloed agencies pose unnecessary challenges to improving public safety levels | Ocala Gazette
Providing quality observations to the community takes a lot of time and work | Ocala Gazette
Fatal crash leaves questions about City emergency communications | Ocala Gazette
Can emergency personnel locate me through my cellphone? | Ocala Gazette
The “first” of the first responders | Ocala Gazette
City of Ocala emergency dispatch continues to struggle | Ocala Gazette
What happens when you call 911 in Marion County | Ocala Gazette
Update on city emergency response times for fire, medical | Ocala Gazette
Podcast: Ocala Gazette Podcast — December 27, 2024 – January 2, 2025 | Ocala Gazette
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