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Commission discusses donating an ambulance to Hatzalah; staff suggests budgeting next fiscal year
Summary
Commissioners heard a presentation from Hatzalah about volunteer EMS operations and discussed a possible city donation or purchase of a fully equipped ambulance (staff estimated around $500,000). Staff recommended folding the request into next fiscal-year budget conversations rather than an immediate fund-balance amendment.
The City of Sunny Isles Beach heard a presentation from Hatzalah nd its local representative Andre at a June workshop about the volunteer organization's emergency-response model and a request for a donated ambulance to be stationed in the city.
Andre, identified in the record as Hatzalah's treasurer/representative, described Hatzalah as a volunteer, nonprofit EMS provider with 24/7 dispatch that now operates ambulances and emergency-response units across South Florida. He said volunteers carry equipment in private vehicles to reach patients faster and that the group has responded to roughly 240 calls in the Sunny Isles area since it began transports. "It's like the Uber of the EMS," Andre said, explaining that volunteers often arrive on scene before an ambulance and stabilize patients until transport is available.
Staff and commissioners discussed cost and timing. Staff said fully outfitting a modern ambulance based on recent purchases runs about $500,000. Commissioners debated whether to approve a budget amendment in the current fiscal year, which would require two ordinance readings and draw on fund balance, or to include the request in the next fiscal-year budget to allow more planning and possible partner contributions. One commissioner said the city had reduced discretionary fund flexibility and opposed tapping fund balance without additional data; others supported including the proposal in upcoming budget discussions.
The consensus direction: staff will include the ambulance request in the next fiscal-year budget process and bring an ordinance and budget-amendment path for the commission to consider if the commission prefers an accelerated timetable.
What happens next: staff will return with budget language and an ordinance schedule; commissioners asked staff to explore partnerships or shared funding with neighboring municipalities where appropriate.
