Fort Myers emergency management outlines storm readiness, debris and vessel-recovery rules

Fire Chief Trace McMillian, who also serves as the city—s emergency management director, told the City of Fort Myers Environmental Advisory Board on Sept. 2 that the city runs a compact emergency-management operation focused on preparing for, responding to and recovering from severe storms.

McMillian said the emergency management function is staffed by roughly "two and a half" people in the fire department, supported by subject-matter experts from utilities, public works and other departments. He described a season-based checklist system for departments, pre-staged debris sites and about 50—to—60 preestablished disaster contracts that the city can mobilize after storms.

"We try not to put all our resources in one bucket," McMillian said, noting the city purposefully maintains vendor contracts across regions so suppliers remain available when Southwest Florida is impacted. He urged residents to download the city's emergency-management app, which includes a "report damages" feature tied to the city's incident-tracking system.

Why it matters: McMillian—s presentation laid out how the city converts short-term emergency response into longer-term recovery work and federal reimbursement. The board asked detailed follow-up questions about stormwater runoff, debris removal, private construction-site discharges and the rules that govern derelict boats.

Key points from the presentation

- Staffing and structure: Emergency management sits in the Fort Myers Fire Department; McMillian said Christina Matthews is the emergency manager and Jennifer Smith is the coordinator. He described…