City staff updated the Cocoa Beach City Commission on Sept. 4 about emergency management readiness, recent plan updates and multi-jurisdictional exercises to prepare for storms and other disasters.

City Manager A.J. Hudson told the commission the emergency plan was updated in the past year to reflect changing departmental roles, technology and emergency-operation locations. Hudson said the city updated its emergency operations center (EOC) and department organization charts and that call lists and contact information had been refreshed. He said staff now provide frequent weather updates to city directors and monitor storm systems continuously.

Hudson and other staff described a recent multi-jurisdictional mock-hurricane drill in which municipal representatives had a presence at the Brevard County control center in Rockledge. That center functions as a countywide coordination hub and includes representatives from cities, state agencies, the sheriff's office and other partners. Hudson said the county control center gives municipal representatives a voice and access to mutual-aid resources; the mock drill highlighted logistical issues such as moving equipment by barge when road connections are disrupted.

Commissioners pressed staff about who would be the city's point of contact for recovery coordination with external partners such as the Small Business Administration and FEMA. Hudson and staff said the city will send a designated representative to the county control center during events and indicated that the county emergency manager, John Scott, coordinates many regional efforts. Hudson said the city had run a local mock drill and a two-and-a-half-hour walk-through in June and that the city had previously managed responses to tornado and storm events.

Commissioners asked staff to compile contact names and points of contact for external agencies involved in recovery so that staff can reach out proactively. Hudson agreed to work with the police and public-works directors to prepare a list of external partners and contacts and to provide a post-drill report back to the commission.

No ordinance or funding action was taken; the update focused on preparedness, partnerships and operational readiness ahead of hurricane season.