May 2, 2005

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special session on May 2, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. in the Government Center Florida Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida. Present were: Chairman Ron Pritchard, D.P.A., Commissioners Truman Scarborough and Jackie Colon, County Manager Peggy Busacca, and County Attorney Scott Knox. Absent were: Commissioners Voltz and Carlson.

REPORT, RE: AWARDS CEREMONY FOR FIREMEN AND FIREWOMEN

Commissioner Colon advised of the awards ceremony this past Friday for the courageous firemen and firewomen in Brevard County; and stated the County is extremely blessed to have them.

PUBLIC COMMENT, RE: HURRICANE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY

Bonnie Hoffman stated she had several homes that leaked terribly due to the hurricanes; there is possibly a loophole in the Florida Building Code of 2001; her structure is built as a partially enclosed structure; and for some reason there is an understanding possibly that individuals do not need to have shutters or impact glass on windows. She noted she was advised by Miami-Dade that Florida is in a windborn debris region; and the windows either need to be impact glass resistant or have shutters on them based on the Florida Building Code of 2001.

Permitting and Enforcement Director Ed Lyon advised there are two designs allowable under the Florida Building Code, an enclosed structure and a partially enclosed structure; a partially enclosed structure is designed structurally to where the windows are frangible or can be knocked out during a storm event; the structure itself is enforced to the point where the different wind loads from inside and outside the buildings will not destroy the structure; and an enclosed structure needs to act as a single unit. He noted if impact resistant glass is used, then shutters would not be required; and there is a specification that has to be met.

Commissioner Scarborough stated it would be good for people who are building homes to know they have that option as a lot of individuals do not specify it when the house is built; and if it is an option it would be beneficial as a public service to people that they can specify a glass that would be just as safe.

Discussion ensued concerning meeting with the building industry, what has been learned from the hurricane events, plans for the future, FEMA, various meetings with groups, agencies, and major homebuilders, water intrusion, holding individuals accountable, gathering data, information, making changes, requirements from the building industry, Florida Building Code, recommendations and proposals from the State, drafts and preliminary reports, windload and impact, evaluation of criteria, storm events, structural connections, safety issues, insurance costs, making repairs, and workmanship issues.

Commissioner Colon inquired what direction is Brevard County going to take on the issue.

County Manager Peggy Busacca responded she is not sure the County can do anything as the State several years ago adopted the Building Code and took local government out of the issue.

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay stated immediately following all the storms, the State put together a task force that reviewed the unified Florida Building Code; and it looked at how well the structures stood up, which seemed to have stood up very well. He stated he has not seen the results of the task force; but they will share the information with the Code officials and building officials within each county so they know where the problems are.

Mr. Lyon stated staff was involved in providing information and data it had locally to the State and task force; he has not seen the finalized report from the State; FEMA did its report within the last couple of weeks; and most of the reports will be coming off the shelf rather soon. Commissioner Colon advised the information needs to be shared with the industry as soon as possible.

The Board further discussed proper installation, hurricane evacuations, certain types of protections, and proper planning.

INTRODUCTION

County Manager Peggy Busacca advised what staff hopes to accomplish today is to have an opportunity to reflect on the experiences the County had during the hurricanes; it will tell the Board the things that have been learned and what needs to be done differently the next time.

RESOLUTION, RE: PROCLAIMING HURRICANE AWARENESS MONTH

Chairman Pritchard read aloud a resolution proclaiming the month of May 2005 as Hurricane Awareness Month in Brevard County.

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Colon, to adopt Resolution proclaiming the month of May 2005 as Hurricane Awareness Month in Brevard County and urging cooperation of the National Weather Service, cities, and all media to inform residents and visitors of appropriate preparedness and safety measures. Motion carried and ordered unanimously. (See page for Resolution No. 05-121.)

Chairman Pritchard presented the Resolution to Emergency Management Director Bob Lay.

OVERVIEW, RE: HURRICANE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay provided an overview and slide presentation of structures before and after the hurricanes, including the numbers and types of hurricanes, Brevard County’s population growth, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), a depiction of Hurricane Charley, evacuations, shelters, communication issues with municipalities and
conference call system, and infrastructure damage. He advised that Hurricane Charley became the second most expensive hurricane in the history of the United States; and Hurricane Frances was on September 4, 2004 and became the fourth most expensive hurricane in the history of the United States. He explained the full activation of the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, fuel shortages, the intelligent transportation system, power outages, establishment of comfort stations, supplies through FEMA, disaster recovery centers, destroyed traffic signals, National Guard and law enforcement officials, debris removal, Hurricane Ivan, repair work to homes, volunteers and federal agencies, Salvation Army and Red Cross, nursing homes and adult living facilities, and meeting the needs of major impacted communities, including Barefoot Bay.

Mr. Lay stated Hurricane Jeanne killed over 3,000 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti; the use of the 2-1-1 system was helpful; special needs was a big impact; and there are approximately over 700 families living in temporary housing in Brevard County. He commented on development of the Long-term Recovery Task Force, hurricane after-action reviews, mobile home parks, hurricane scales and hurricane force winds, current infrastructure status, transportation from an evacuation standpoint, congestion on I-95, U.S. 192, S.R. 520, Pineda Causeway, and U.S. 1, communications, hospitals, health care facilities, dialysis centers, backup generators, banking, schools, water distribution, environmental health issues, and public expectation.

The Board discussed comfort stations, medical supplies, price gouging, supply and demand, a consolidated plan among the County and municipal jurisdictions, County and municipal sites, after-action report status, a new EOC or expansion of it, Emergency Support Function 14, public information during emergencies and disasters, and Space Coast Government Television channel and staffing.

Mr. Lay depicted the projected activity for primarily Atlantic major category hurricanes, scientific predictions, NOAA Weather Service, storm surge areas within Florida, Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), Policy Group structure, Recovery Coordinating Committee to coordinate recovery actions and reports, the need to file emergency declaration/curfew documents, etc. in a timely fashion, the coastal high hazard area, shelters for special needs, general population, and first responder locations.

Mr. Lay stated for 2004 there were 14 named storms, nine of them were hurricanes, and six were intense hurricanes; for 2005 officials are looking at 13 named storms; right now they are saying seven hurricanes; and there will be an update at the end of May 2005, so it may go higher. He noted the prediction is three intense hurricanes; the next update is May 31, 2005; and the eastern Atlantic Coast is estimated to have an above average season, with above average potential for landfalling hurricanes.

Discussion ensued concerning beach erosion, renourishment projects, cyclic events, sea level, a better clarified curfew policy, designating the Emergency Operations Center as the Clerk’s branch office during crisis and local emergencies, and the Clerk designating the County Manager as a Deputy Clerk for the purpose of functioning as the Clerk in emergency situations.

APPROVAL, RE: POLICY GROUP MEMBERSHIP

Motion by Commissioner Colon, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve adding a representative from the Brevard Professional Managers Association and the Fire Chiefs of Brevard County to the Policy Group. Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

The Board reached consensus to direct the County Attorney to review the proposed amendment to the CEMP on discontinuation of the Policy Group.

DISCUSSION, RE: SPECIAL NEEDS

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay stated special needs is a growing demand and concern he has in Brevard County; the State is heavily involved with the Interagency Special Needs Task Force and he attends its meetings.

Registration

Mary Bolin, representing Emergency Management Office, advised she handles the registration of the Special Needs Program; currently there are over 3,000 people registered; and there are two different levels of care. She stated assisted care is for those people who have lower medical needs; and enhanced care is handled by Parrish Medical Center, Health First, and Wuesthoff Hospital.

Transportation and Call Down

Transit Services Director Jim Liesenfelt stated approximately 2,100 out of the 3,000 people registered require transport from SCAT; another 50 individuals or so would go on Coastal ambulances; staff regularly downloads the list and sorts it by routes; and after the decision is made on what to do then emergency staff starts a call down on all those registered individuals. He noted once the process is started, staff starts picking up folks from the beachside inward, depending on which shelters are opening up first; when they do the pickups and drop-offs, and they are all coordinated, then they perform standbys; and after the hurricanes staff had to make sure people had places to go home to. He stated Coastal is no longer providing non-emergency Medicaid service so it has fewer buses available for them to evacuate Cape Canaveral Hospital. He advised when the Hospital has to evacuate, Coastal stops its special needs transport, evacuates the Hospital, and picks up again; and SCAT will be having a meeting with the Fire Chief and Coastal to try to work out some of those issues. He stated nursing homes and assisted living facilities have to have some sort of evacuation plan with their transportation; and the residential centers do not. Mr. Liesenfelt stated dialysis transportation could be an issue; and SCAT also helps out with transportation of goods and supplies.

Medical Staffing and Supplies

Pam Hamilton, representing Department of Health, stated through Florida Statutes, the Department is mandated with taking care of special needs clients that Mr. Liesenfelt delivers to it; medical staff goes to the shelters to support the clients; it is the Department’s responsibility to connect with the different health personnel in the community to make sure their help is there to assist clients, including dialysis clients. She noted the Department supports four special needs shelters; the Department is getting on board with the hospitals, nursing homes, mental health care agencies, home health care agencies, pharmacies, children medical services, and dialysis centers; it is trying to bring the community together to help in these times; and medical equipment is stored at schools.

County Staffing and Sheltering

Housing and Human Services Director Gay Williams stated 135 employees make up the team staffing of the special needs shelter; they come from Housing and Human Services, Parks and Recreation, Library Services, and Criminal Justice Departments; such employees provide professional and courteous support and service with a spirit of excellence for patients, their families, and nursing staff; and her Department coordinates the teams pre-sheltering by putting shifts together, coordinating where teams will serve, providing training of staff at service locations, and pre-impose inventorying of supplies at each shelter. She noted the employees and nursing staff have done such an excellent job that no one wants to go home when the declared disaster is over, which presents a bigger problem; the teams work under extraordinary circumstances and provide excellent vital service assisting the County’s most vulnerable segment of the population, the very sick, frail, and elderly.

DISCUSSION, RE: GENERAL POPULATION SHELTERS

Bob Armstrong, representing Red Cross, stated shelters are a challenge for the Red Cross; it is asked to open all the general population shelters; it does not have a large staff and only has five fulltime people in the Chapter; and Red Cross works with volunteers. He noted when a hurricane is coming, volunteers sometimes can be difficult to find because they also want to evacuate the area with their families; during Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, the Red Cross was able to open 51 total shelters; the Red Cross works with Mr. Lay and his staff to identify what shelters, schools, or facilities can be used during hurricanes or other events and disasters; and the biggest challenge with shelters are generators. He stated when the power goes out at some facilities, the water goes out, which means there are no bathroom facilities; it is a huge problem; volunteers do a pre-occupancy inspection of all the shelters and register everybody; and Brevard County schools provide food at the school shelters. He advised the shelter rules are strict; staff tries to get the schools open as soon as possible; the biggest challenge after that is finding alternate shelter facilities, which are generally churches, community buildings, etc. that are not affected or damaged; and the Red Cross and staff try to work as closely with the public as possible to make sure they have a place to go and everything they need before the shelters are shut down.

Discussion ensued concerning grants to fund generators, the need for water availability and working sewer systems, comfort stations, and availability of schools.

DISCUSSION, RE: PUBLIC EMPLOYEE SHELTERS

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay advised there were concerns during the last hurricane about people using buildings that were not designated as shelters; the only buildings the County recommends are those buildings that have been reviewed and designated as shelters; anything other than that for employees or employees’ families is probably not the best thing to do; and there are relatively new fire stations that can be used to shelter employees. He stated the Moore Justice Center is not one of those facilities staff has reviewed and said it is a nice place to be used as a shelter; it should not be used as a shelter; however, staff is re-looking at it because of the new addition that has been built onto it; and a core location may be found within the facility if it needs to be used as a shelter. He noted the School Board is having to build some additional classrooms as it displaces trailers; some classrooms are being built to an enhanced hurricane protection standard; within some communities there may be the ability to help out with either local law enforcement or local fire personnel to provide locations for them; and the County wants to make sure the facilities are safe for them to use.

Commissioner Colon inquired is there a list of public employee shelters. Mr. Lay responded yes, there is a shelter; employees can register for same on an annual basis through the Library Services Director; one of the County libraries has been designated as a Brevard County public employee shelter; and the usage factor has always been extremely low.

The meeting recessed at 3:05 p.m. and reconvened at 3:25 p.m.

DISCUSSION, RE: DEBRIS REMOVAL

Jeff Johnson, P.E., representing Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc., stated the Company got involved with the debris removal operation in Brevard County after Hurricane Jeanne; before the hurricane, Solid Waste Department was running its own operation; it is a very time consuming operation; and it is intensive and requires a lot of effort. He noted Waste Management handled debris removal with Solid Waste staff; Brevard County had a little over one million cubic yards of debris, including both vegetative and construction demolition debris; Orange County collected double the amount of debris than what Brevard County collected; and the debris removal costs approximately $23 million, but Solid Waste Department expects to get about 93% reimbursement. He stated the total County share was about $1.4 million; the Board is concerned about public perception; most residents do not understand the magnitude of a debris removal operation and to them it is just basically picking up sticks; but there are 100 crews picking up sticks, which has to be managed, scheduled, and done in a timely manner. He advised Brevard County’s operation ended before any of his Company’s other operations; it is involved in approximately 40 of them; residents want to know they are not going to be forgotten with their debris pickup; and the Solid Waste Department had a makeshift hotline and logged requests and complaints. Mr. Johnson stated the complaints were forwarded to his Company and it tried to take care of them.

Chairman Pritchard advised there were also a lot of thank you’s and residents provided soda and water.

Mr. Johnson stated one solution he would recommend to the Board is a debris hotline; there could be a formalized number published and advertised; he used the debris hotline in California after the wildfires; and it kept the phone calls out of the commissioners’ offices. He noted one of the important things is that the information is logged and categorized; citizen drop-off sites are very important; citizens want to get their properties cleaned up; and availability of sites are always limited. He stated Brevard County had seven staging areas; it could theoretically co-locate a debris drop-off site for citizens at the staging areas, which would save haul time from the point of pickup to the staging area; once the debris is in the staging area it can be reduced and hauled to its final destinations; and it reduces costs. He stated regular meetings were held with contractors to discuss issues, forward complaints, etc. to make sure everybody was on the same page and knew what the County expected; the contractors responded when his Company asked them to, which was a benefit; and press releases were very effective.

Mr. Johnson commented on damage reports, conduction of follow-up inspections on cleaned areas, formalized training of monitoring staff, interlocal agreements with municipalities, assignment of a County Project Manager, managing contractors, response to residents, conduction of a preliminary damage assessment after storms, updating maps based on geographic boundaries annually, encouraging additional municipality involvement, Request for Proposals for additional debris management and debris hauler contracts, reimbursement by FEMA, identification of staging areas and citizen sites, baseline studies to make sure there is no existing contamination, keeping a database of local monitors, and plan for a formal debris hotline.

Mr. Johnson stated Brevard County had a successful and efficient debris operation; there is always room for improvement; the County is striving to take those steps at this time; and all everyone can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best.

DISCUSSION, RE: LAW ENFORCEMENT - CURFEW AND RE-ENTRY

Mike Lewis, Chief Deputy representing Sheriffs Office, stated the biggest lesson learned from last year’s events is communication; communications can be enhanced with municipalities and counterparts to make curfew decisions much better; there needs to be an understanding with such municipalities on a law enforcement aspect; and decisions need to be made on a County level. He noted there was lack of communication on the curfew aspect and it needs to be enhanced, including reentry; the biggest problem with reentry last year seemed to stem from lack of communication; and those issues need to be addressed. He advised the working relationship he has observed with his Office and chiefs of police is phenomenal; and it is a team effort.

Commissioner Colon stated there always has to be one person who is completely in charge at the EOC; and inquired is it understood that Mr. Lay is the individual who filters such information.

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay stated Chapter 252, which deals with emergency management under Florida Statutes, says the County has to have a plan; part of such plan is the curfew and reentry procedure; municipalities can have their own emergency management plan if it is consistent with the County’s plan and something that is agreed upon; and Emergency Support Function 16, which is law enforcement under the County’s plan, has been working together with the Sheriff’s Office and local municipalities to make sure the right kind of template is used for curfews. He stated that is the direction they are moving in and it will be ready.

Mr. Lewis noted he does not anticipate any barriers; the biggest obstacle is the geographical diversity of the County and understanding there may be selective enforcement of a curfew; and something that affects Micco may not affect Mims.

Chairman Pritchard stated he does not want the curfew to be business driven and it needs to be safety driven. Mr. Lewis stated public safety is the number one concern when it comes to setting the curfew or reentry.

DISCUSSION, RE: LONG-TERM RECOVERY

Bob Rains, President of United Way of Brevard, Inc., stated 2-1-1 is a valuable information utility and proved its value during the storms; over 30,000 calls were made in September 2004; some of those calls would have gone to 9-1-1 and tied up the lines; and United Way and 2-1-1 staffs, and volunteers answered the telephones at lower cost than paying County staff double time to do that. He praised the work that everybody has done, including preparation; stated the FEMA office in Orlando is projected to be open until August 2007; there are nearly 700 people still in FEMA travel trailers; and United Way’s focus has been on storm victims and those folks who are still in need. He stated a couple of things that were not happening and needed assistance included long-term case management; there was some great work done by the traditional responders, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and others with emergency case management and helping folks right after the storm; but there was not a system in place for long-term recovery case management; there were terrific communications going on right after the storms, but as the weeks went by after the storms and having two storms there was some fatigue; and the communication started to be less and less as folks focused on their own specific areas, so there was not as much coordination in long-term recovery because people were catching up and doing all kinds of things. Mr. Rains noted there were long-term recovery groups being formed; United Way was able to look at some of the other models; it talked to County staff to convene a group to start focusing on long-term recovery; and one of the early decisions made was to form a separate 501C3 incorporated group to focus on such recovery.

Mr. Rains stated a Steering Committee was formed; the focus has been to build long-term recovery case management and working with groups to form a long-term recovery coalition; there is close cooperation with Housing and Human Services Department; and $500,000 has been received from the Volunteer Florida Foundation through the Governor’s Hurricane Relief Fund. He noted United Way has been tasked with distributing those dollars to hurricane victims through this process; it has also worked with the County and municipalities; it will transition the case management team under the new entity that is being formed; and it will be a one-stop shop with a lot of coordination and cooperation from several groups. He stated the Committee hired a Project Director and sought funding from United Way of America and the Lily Endowment to hire a long-term recovery director; and introduced David Dingley as the new Project Director. He noted Harris Corporation gave the Committee a ten-office suite with phones, computers, desks, etc. at no cost to place the long-term recovery organization; the Committee is looking to hire another position that it looks to have grant funded as well to work on long-term recovery rebuild and volunteer mobilization to bring faith based groups and others in to help with folks; the Committee is excited about where it is going; and it has helped a lot of folks and has also laid the groundwork to help folks in the future. Mr. Rains advised the vision for this Coalition has many participants and partners, including governmental entities and municipalities; the Governor proposed $324 million in hurricane relief money; the House has responded to his request with $250 million; the Senate does not have anything in it; but the word is there will probably be $250 million in hurricane relief money to help folks that qualify.

Discussion ensued concerning temporary housing, disaster field office in Orange County, hurricane victims waiting on insurance claims and contractors, meeting guidelines, access to funding, blue tarps on roofs, Legal Aid, landlord/tenant dispute issues, insurance company disputes, inability to afford high insurance deductibles and repairs, finding alternative and multiple solutions, challenges people have, affordable housing, rental housing, allocation of monies and other avenues of resources, and volunteers.

DISCUSSION, RE: FEMA FUNDING

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Grant Status

Mary Bolin, representing Emergency Management Office, provided an overview of the Local Mitigation Strategy Plan, which is comprised of 105 participants; stated there is a Steering Committee comprised of 22 individuals; and they represent the 15 municipalities, with one representative from County government, and representatives from private industry and non-profits. Ms. Bolin stated when Brevard County was hit with the hurricanes, it became eligible for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP); and it is $15 million allocated to the County to be used for mitigation on public buildings and drainage problems. She advised the Steering Committee determined how the money would be allocated equally among all participants; the projects would be presented to the Committee for review to see if they would be eligible for the HMGP money; the three main categories included wind retrofit, drainage, and acquisition; and the Committee put together all of the determinations of how much money would go to each entity, including municipalities, County government, and nonprofits, such as hospitals and the Red Cross. She noted it was upon them to prepare the grants and submit same; today is the last day for submittal; over $15 million worth of grant has been submitted today, which will go to FEMA for review; and the County has put in for everything it could possibly get from FEMA.

Ms. Bolin advised the other funding source is pre-disaster mitigation money; it is a competitive grant nationwide; to be eligible for most funding sources from the State, the County has to have its project listed on the Local Mitigation Strategy Plan; and some of the St. Johns River Water Management District grants have to have a Local Mitigation Strategy number project listing also.

Public Assistance

Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten provided information to the Board, including the monthly update on FEMA reimbursements; stated to date, the County has received $16.3 million from FEMA out of an anticipated request of $31 million; so the County is a little bit more than halfway home in terms of reimbursements it anticipates from FEMA; and such reimbursements could increase. He noted staff anticipates to receive within the next several weeks $3 million; and Transportation Engineering Department has received $1.2 million from Federal Highway Administration.

Natural Resources Management Director Ernie Brown advised the money associated with beach nourishment and restoration is coming from primarily three different areas, including FEMA; approximately $1.6 million has been delivered to the County; the total amount it is supposed to be getting from FEMA is about $3.6 million; the County contributed $240,000 of TDC funds to that project; and State monies are approximately $8.2 million that the County has received as an advance. He noted the County has contributed approximately $700,000 and more will follow; it is for the dune restoration projects for the Mid Reach and South Reach; the Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Restoration Projects for the South Reach and North Reach projects total approximately $16.8 million; and it has all been delivered. He stated the North Reach side will be completed by May 14, 2005; local contribution was $1.6 million, primarily through the TDC; the State portion was $1.3 million; and about $29 million has been contributed to beach restoration of 30 miles. He advised the project is almost completed.

DISCUSSION, RE: POTENTIAL IMPACTS

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay showed a slide presentation of various areas impacted by hurricanes, including Santa Rosa County, U.S. 10, Orange Beach, Romar Beach, Gulf Shores, Pine Beach, and the Panhandle. He commented on the loss of major roadways, collapsing and shifted buildings, movement of sand, heavy damages, dune line, severe erosion, and use of lasers to determine movement of sand from beachside to Gulf side. He stated something like this could happen in Brevard County with a major category hurricane; if it is prepared, it is something it will learn to work with; and there were many participants assisting during the hurricanes.

Chairman Pritchard stated it is important for everyone to be prepared for hurricanes; the number one issue is to plan, and the second issue is to have an evacuation box ready to go, including important papers and valuables.

Upon motion and vote, the meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

ATTEST:
__________________________________
RON PRITCHARD, D.P.A., CHAIRMAN
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA
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SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK

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