Charlotte County to apply for state ambulance grant after Rescue Squad grant-eligibility issue

The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 12 to authorize county staff to apply for a state ambulance grant on behalf of the Charlotte County Rescue Squad after board members reported the squad may be ineligible due to a prior grant violation.

Supervisor Walter T. Bailey said some Rescue Squad ambulances have as much as 300,000 miles and are accumulating about 1,000 miles per week, creating an urgent need to replace vehicles. “When a vehicle is purchased through the grant, the vehicle cannot be used for collateral on a loan,” Bailey said, adding that CCRS currently has about $90,000 outstanding on such a loan and therefore cannot apply for a new grant that would cover 80% of a replacement ambulance.

Bailey asked the Board whether the county should apply for the grant on CCRS’s behalf; Supervisor Will Garnett moved to authorize the county to apply, Supervisor Tony Reeves seconded, and all members present voted aye.

The Board did not adopt a funding commitment at the meeting; the motion authorized staff to submit the application. Bailey said the grant application window opens Sept. 15 and closes Oct. 15. He also said CCRS is pursuing an appeal of the ineligibility but that as long as an outstanding vehicle loan balance exists, the squad remains ineligible.

The action responds to an operational shortfall identified by supervisors: aging vehicles with high mileage and limited access to outside grant support until the loan issue is resolved. The Board did not vote to provide county funds to retire the outstanding loan balance or to purchase a vehicle directly at the Sept. 12 meeting.

The next steps are for county staff to prepare and submit the state application on CCRS’s behalf and to report back to the Board on the application’s status and any required county match or financial commitment.