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Commissioners authorize $20.15M Triumph Gulf Coast award agreement for countywide P25 radio system
Summary
Walton County authorized the chair to sign a Triumph Gulf Coast grant agreement to buy radio equipment, handheld and in‑car radios, and related system equipment (P25) for the sheriff and local first responders. Commissioners approved the measure without public opposition.
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners voted to authorize the chair to sign the Triumph Gulf Coast grant agreement that will fund the county's P25 public safety radio equipment.
The approved grant award is for approximately $20,152,671 to cover radio equipment — including handheld radios, in‑vehicle units, microwave and tower‑mounted gear — for the sheriff's office and county fire/rescue agencies. County staff clarified the funding covers equipment and radio gear; tower construction costs are planned to be paid with local match funds. Sheriff’s and county dispatch upgrades, recorders and CAD enhancements are part of the scope.
Commissioners asked staff for clarification about whether volunteer fire departments and the two dispatch centers would be included; staff confirmed the grant will include these components and related radio programming and cutover testing. Tracy Voss of the sheriff’s office said the equipment will be hung as towers and sites are completed and that there will be a cutover phase when radios and encryption keys are handed out.
The board approved the item by motion and second; no roll‑call vote was recorded in the public transcript.
Ending: With the grant agreement authorized, county staff will finalize contract documents and the multi‑phase deployment: tower work, equipment hang, testing and a scheduled cutover to the new P25 system.
