Ocala council approves $3.2 million Motorola radio purchase after procurement debate

Ocala City Council voted to approve the purchase of new portable radios for the Ocala Police Department, Ocala Fire Rescue and Ocala Electric Utility on May 20, 2025, after a prolonged presentation and public comment from a competing vendor.

City staff and the council said the radios are intended to update aging equipment, improve indoor and campus coverage, add GPS and “off‑vehicle” tracking, and provide automatic switching to the strongest signal. Joshua Sasso, director of police information systems, told the council the new equipment ‘‘will better enhance our ability to respond and send aid’’ and highlighted features used in the 911 center, including person-down notifications.

The purchase drew a public appeal from Megan Mercer of Communications International, an integrator for L3 Harris, who asked the council to defer the vote and allow her team to present an alternative. Mercer said an L3 Harris proposal would total $3,200,000 and ‘‘results in the cost savings of $2,740,000 when compared to the Motorola quote that is $5,950,000 and currently under consideration.’’ Mercer asked the council to “defer the action on this item to allow time to direct a meeting between city leadership and our team.”

Daphne Robinson, the city’s director of procurement and contracting, explained the procurement path used for the purchase. She said the city used cooperative purchasing vehicles such as NASPO, Sourcewell and the Florida Sheriffs Association to obtain competitive pricing and that procurement would not authorize a cooperative purchase unless ‘‘best value can be demonstrated and supported.’’ Robinson said best value ‘‘does not necessarily mean lowest price’’ and that operational tradeoffs were weighed.

Sasso outlined the police department’s operational concerns in comparing vendors. He said Motorola has local vendor support from TriCo and that service-level agreements commonly produce on-site support ‘‘within 15 minutes’’ in Ocala. Sasso also cited existing interoperability with surrounding agencies and integration with public-safety platforms the 911 center uses, saying those connections reduce operational risk. He added his concern about mixing multiple radio vendors on the same radio infrastructure: ‘‘The radio is the lifeline of the officers, the firefighters, and our linemen.’’

Council members asked about vendor locations, equipment lifecycle and what would happen to replaced radios. Sasso said older radios would be reallocated to non–public-safety city departments and that Florida Department of Management Services guidance sets an 8‑year recommended lifetime for radios.

After council discussion, the motion to approve the purchase passed on a roll call. The council approved the purchase and the procurement method recommended by staff.

The purchase will be implemented over a multi‑year rollout; staff said costs will be phased to reduce fiscal impact.