Charlotte County commissioners delay 911 consolidation, direct task force to study options

The Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously April 22 to postpone a decision on whether to consolidate Punta Gorda 911 calls with the county sheriff’s dispatch and to direct staff to form a joint task force of city and county public-safety officials to study the issue.

The commission’s move follows more than two hours of public comment from Punta Gorda residents, city officials and union and emergency-communications experts who warned that routing city calls through the county in a partial-consolidation model would add steps and lengthen response times for Punta Gorda residents. Captain Dylan Rentz of the Punta Gorda Police Department told the commission that when the city takes a call, “they begin gathering information and dispatch the fire department on an average of 39 seconds, which is less time than the sheriff’s office is countywide average.”

Advocates for consolidation and county staff have argued the change could produce savings and improved interoperability. Commissioner Joe Constance said studies of consolidations elsewhere in Florida suggested possible annual savings “over a million dollars,” and called for a structured review. Constance moved to postpone the item about 60 days and direct the county administrator and city manager to identify a task-force membership and scope; Commissioner Deutsch seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Punta Gorda city officials and multiple residents repeatedly told commissioners that seconds matter for their largely older population. Melissa Lockhart, describing the city’s current arrangement, said “Partial consolidation as proposed will increase response times for the Punta Gorda residents.” Steven Leskovich, then serving as interim Punta Gorda city attorney and speaking as a lawyer, cautioned that statutory and interlocal-agreement issues could lead to litigation if the county attempts a takeover without clear legal authority.

What the board directed: The commission asked the county administrator to meet with the Punta Gorda interim city manager and other stakeholders to propose the task-force membership and charge, and to return with a time-certain plan — the board discussed 60 days — to report options, including where a full consolidation has worked, what savings might be achievable, and what governance structure would protect response times. Sheriff Bill Pramel told the board he had kept dispatcher positions open while consolidation was under discussion and said the county could absorb Punta Gorda dispatch licenses if a full consolidation moved forward.

Next steps: The board will receive a staff recommendation detailing the task-force make-up and a timeline for review; staff said they would seek a joint meeting with Punta Gorda officials for public review of the task force’s findings. The commission emphasized it was not directing immediate routing changes and that any formal consolidation would require buy-in from the city, legal review, and a public process.

Ending: Commissioners said they wanted objective analysis and “buy-in” from the city before any change is implemented. Commissioner Constance summarized the board’s assignment: “Create a task force to review all related services and their accompanying budget to determine what, if any, services contain duplication of efforts and or inefficiencies that will benefit from consolidation.”