Columbia County board activates AmeriPro as backup EMS, approves 90-day settlement with Columbia EMS

The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners voted Feb. 24 to activate AmeriPro EMS of Florida LLC as the county's backup ambulance contractor and approved a settlement agreement that will separate Columbia Emergency Services (doing business as Columbia EMS) from the county with a 90-day transition period.

County staff told the board that an investigative report into a Feb. 8 arena incident identified three separate instances of "major noncompliance" by Columbia EMS, and that the contractor had repeatedly failed to meet the contract's 90% response-time threshold. A staff presentation said Columbia EMS has submitted a signed settlement agreement providing a 90-day transition window; during that period Columbia EMS will continue to receive its monthly subsidy (staff cited $35,227.27 per month) while AmeriPro begins activating resources.

"The contractor has agreed and has submitted a signed settlement agreement calling for the separation . . . with a 90-day transition window," a county staff member said during the meeting. The staff presentation said the agreement includes a covenant not to sue, indemnification and insurance requirements that survive the settlement, and a duty to cooperate between Columbia EMS and the backup contractor.

Under terms described by staff, the reinstated backup agreement with AmeriPro requires minimum operational commitments: no fewer than five 24/7 ALS (advanced life support) units plus one 12-hour ALS unit for part of the day, continuous paramedic supervision and the contract's time-performance requirements. Staff characterized the arrangement as a hybrid of a minimum-unit model and time-based performance guarantees.

Members of the public and several speakers with emergency-services experience urged the board to require more than the five-unit minimum and to consider returning 911/EMS operations to county control in the longer term. "You can't run this county with 5 ambulances," one EMS professional testified, describing past incidents of delayed response and equipment gaps.

Other public commenters recounted recent delays. "It took EMS approximately 30, maybe 40 minutes to get to that [hotel]," a resident said, urging the board to ensure quicker responses across the county.

Commissioners and staff debated costs and implementation. Staff said restoring an in-house county EMS operation would require a substantial investment — in the millions — and identified a multi-year planning horizon. County staff also said AmeriPro was prepared to bring resources from neighboring counties and could be activated once the board approved the modification agreement.

The motion to adopt the modification agreement providing for early termination and settlement and to activate AmeriPro passed by voice vote with a reported 3–2 tally. The board recorded that Commissioner George Holland made the motion. The settlement and transition will be implemented under the terms outlined by staff, including the continuation of monthly subsidy payments to Columbia EMS during the transition and the activation of AmeriPro as the backup contractor.

The board also voted earlier in the meeting to determine that an emergency existed, a procedural finding under board Rule 4.105 that limited the meeting's agenda to items related to the emergency. The meeting concluded after the board completed the limited agenda items.

Next steps identified by staff included monitoring AmeriPro's ramp-up and enforcing contract performance standards; staff also said it will pursue budget requests and further planning during the contract term to address longer-term capacity needs.