Commissioners press for response from Marion County on medical examiner partnership as deadline approaches

Seminole County commissioners on April 22 pressed staff to follow up with Marion County and other partners after saying they had not yet received an acknowledgment or the records requested in a public-records letter about the regional medical examiner cooperative agreement.

Commissioner Dilarie (as recorded in the meeting) said the county manager’s office had sent a public-records request and letter and that to date there had been no reply. “So part of my concern is that I am supposed to go on May, back to this meeting with our proposal for our extraction from this cooperative agreement,” the commissioner said, asking staff to confirm next steps.

Christian Swines, assistant county manager, told the board there had been conversations at Marion County among their board and constitutional partners and that Marion County was discussing the feedback from its partners at its board meeting. Swines said the county intended to provide an update at the next Seminole County board meeting based on Marion County’s response but said it was not yet clear whether Marion would continue to partner.

Commissioners directed the county manager to follow up with Marion County and to report back to the board; no formal vote or resolution was taken. Several commissioners noted a May 14 timeline referenced in previous discussions and said they wanted a response by then so Seminole County could determine whether to proceed with extrication from the cooperative agreement or pursue alternatives.