Florida Emergency Communications Board declines to act on 911 fee increase despite calls from counties

****MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: **EDS. NOTE: THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY ALTERED TO BLUR SENSITIVE AND PROTECTED TEXT DISPLAYED ON MONITORS, BOTH IN TEXT AND DISPLAYED ON MAPS IN THE 911 COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.**** Dispatchers and call takers work at their stations in the 911 Communications Center at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, April 5, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

Members of the Florida Emergency Communications Board (ECB) heard urgent pleas from county 911 coordinators and law enforcement officials on Oct. 16 to raise the state’s 911 fee, currently set at 40 cents per phone line, but ultimately took no action to recommend or implement an increase.

During public comment, Jody Kenyon, president of the Florida 911 Coordinators Association, told the board that “revenues have remained static since 2015, while expenses for these systems have dramatically increased.” Kenyon urged the ECB to consider “expanded commitment in discussion on increasing the fees to support 911 communications in the state of Florida.”

Florida law authorizes the board to set the monthly 911 fee up to 50 cents per phone line, according to Florida Statute 365.172(2)(a). Yet the board has not exercised that authority in nearly a decade, even as technology costs and public expectations have grown, and counties statewide are mandated to enhance their systems to incorporate Next Generation 911 technology.

According to 911.gov, “The success and reliability of 911 will be greatly improved with the implementation of NG911, as it will enhance emergency number services to create a faster, more resilient system that allows voice, photos, videos and text messages to flow seamlessly from the public to the 911 network. NG911 will also improve public safety answering points’ ability to help manage call overload, natural disasters and transfer of 911 calls based on caller location data.”

Revenue from 911 fees is also meant to be used for initiatives to improve cybersecurity for the 911 networks — a strategic priority of the board, along with identifying for consideration a new funding model that could provide additional funds for 911 operations in Florida as costs continue to rise.

Counties say shortfalls are straining operations

Multiple county representatives testified that the current 40-cent fee covers only a fraction of their actual costs. Dan Koenig, senior manager of 911 program services for the Palm Beach County Public Safety Department, who also sits on the executive board of Florida’s chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), echoed representatives from other counties who stated the 911 fee revenue “covers approximately 28% of our costs,” leaving local general funds to make up the difference.

Sheriff Donald Edenfield of Jackson County said the situation is particularly dire in rural areas. “At 40 cents per month, we cannot sustain current operations or advance for next-gen 911,” he said. His county, he noted, is burdened by calls from travelers along Interstate 10 and U.S. 231.

“More people travel through my county every day than live there,” he noted.

Because 911 fund distributions are allocated per capita, counties with large transient or tourist populations end up subsidizing emergency calls from nonresidents who do not contribute to the fund.

Michelle Sanders, director of 911 Management for Marion County, shared budget documents reflecting a department cost for fiscal year 2025-26 of $8,340,824, offset by only $2,097,000 from the state’s collection of 911 fees, mirroring what other county 911 professionals described during the board meeting.

Sanders said City of Ocala and Marion County are in the implementation stage of transitioning to NG911. Installation of the new equipment is almost complete, so that the all answering points in the county can switch from the decades old analog 911 infrastructure  to the internet protocol (IP)-based system..

Chairwoman cites political climate against fee hikes

ECB Chair Denise Adkins, who also directs the Florida Department of Management Services’ Division of Telecommunications, acknowledged the need for additional revenue but said the “leadership here in Tallahassee is not interested in pursuing” what could be perceived as a tax increase.

The 10-cent increase would have totaled $1.20 annually for each phone line in Florida.

Adkins acknowledged the needs presented but when asked why the board would not move forward with the 10-cent increase, she said, “It’s a tax, our leadership is not interested in pursuing that.”

She encouraged the 911 professionals gathered to “maintain relationships with House and Senate members” and to advocate directly for funding.

“You can’t go and ask for something when you haven’t built that relationship,” she said, urging them to use the new stakeholder awareness presentation developed by the ECB to lobby lawmakers.

Legal uncertainty over board’s authority

At the request of ECB member Sheriff Billy Woods of Marion County, the board’s attorney, Patrick Cunningham, was asked to clarify whether the ECB has the independent authority to raise the fee from 40 to 50 cents.

Kenyon said the statute was “very black and white,” granting the board that power with a two-thirds vote. But Cunningham responded that while the statute provides authority, “there are influences beyond the board,” and that any increase would likely still require legislative review.

“I’d like a future answer of what is really our authority,” Woods said. “Because it sounds like we have authority, but we really don’t.” He added that he wanted attendees to “understand that these board members don’t have the final authority” and that “in the current climate, any form of an increase ain’t happening.”

No motion, no letter, no action

Despite widespread agreement that Florida’s 911 funding model is outdated, no motion was made to raise the fee by 10 cents or to send a formal letter to the Legislature advocating for change.

Adkins closed the discussion by emphasizing that while counties and associations could pursue advocacy independently, the board itself would not take formal legislative action.

According to data presented in the meeting and accompanying stakeholder briefings, Florida’s 40-cent 911 fee is the lowest in the Southeast, where neighboring states charge an average of $1.36 per line.

Florida’s 911 system, which handles calls for both residents and an estimated 130 million to 143 million annual visitors, now faces a funding gap exceeding $815 million projected this budget year, a shortfall counties must make up.

It has been running at a deficit of more than $100 million since 2018, but there has been no increase in fees approved by the ECB or the state Legislature.