Subject:
Title
Board Approval: Legislative Intent and Permission to Advertise the Establishment of an Emergency Management Ordinance
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Fiscal Impact:
None
Dept/Office:
Public Safety Group: Emergency Management
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners authorize staff to advertise the Statement of Legislative Intent set forth below and direct staff to prepare an emergency management ordinance that ensures the County's ability to quickly respond to emergencies, codify necessary organizational flexibility, and streamline the process of receiving state and federal assistance.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
Emergency Management ordinances are an increasingly best practice, with 67% of Florida counties having one; this figure rises to 75% amongst coastal counties. Notably, among counties with a population greater than 400,000, Brevard is the sole county without such an ordinance.
Historically, the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) is sufficient to outline response and recovery efforts for emergencies. However, federal and state authorities increasingly prefer these core concepts to be outlined in an ordinance, especially for those areas where they directly interact with the County.
As emergencies evolve to be more complex, the need for swift decision-making and action becomes critical. This drives the need for the County's processes to be clear, concise, and direct. Establishing an Emergency Management ordinance will provide required clarity, timeliness, and codify a framework for an efficient and effective response and recovery.
Statement of Legislative Intent: Staff will prepare an ordinance to accomplish the following:
* Codify a delegation of authority to declare a local state of emergency from the Board of County Commission to the Chair, and when the Chair is not available to the Vice-Chair, as well as codify a delegation of authority to enact emergency protection measures to the C...
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