Pasco emergency managers outline incident command role and elected-officials responsibilities ahead of hurricane season

Pasco County emergency management staff gave the Board of County Commissioners a daylong review of how the county runs hurricane response operations and what they need from elected officials as the 2025 season approaches.

The presentation, led by Andy Fassa, the countyEmergency Management director, explained how the incident command system (ICS) organizes response and how elected officials are integrated into decisions. "ICS ... it's a common organizational structure, and it's thoroughly accepted in the state of Florida and throughout The United States," Fassa said. He outlined a daily "battle rhythm" of weather calls, command-staff briefings and elected-officials calls that feed tactical decisions and requests for state resources.

The session stressed the delegation of authority that helps county leaders act quickly during a storm. "The role of the elected officials ... delegates authority for the county administrator and the incident commander to make decisions," Fassa told the commission, describing how the board authorizes the county administrator to activate legal authorities such as evacuation orders, curfews and other emergency measures.

County staff described the information flow: local elected officials and the public feed the county administrator, who briefs the Executive Policy Group; the group then directs the incident commander and the EOC to assign operational tasks. Fassa emphasized the need for consistent public messaging: "If we don't share the same message, it's going to cause confusion and chaos," he said.

Commissioners and attendees discussed how and when commissioners should contact staff during an activation. Fassa and other county leaders told commissioners that the established channel is to route requests through the county administrator or the EOC liaison to avoid multiple, conflicting directions to staff during an incident; they also said brief, urgent calls were acceptable when immediate action is needed.

Why it matters: Clear ICS roles and pre-authorized decision pathways help the county order evacuations, activate shelters and request state resources quickly. The presentation signaled areas staff will refine before the season, including elected-official briefings and clearer guidance about when commissioners should escalate constituent issues to operations staff.

Looking ahead, staff asked the commission to continue participating in the elected-officials briefings and to help ensure public messages are consistent across county offices and partner jurisdictions.