CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — On Tuesday, Charlotte County Commissioners postponed voting on a resolution that would route 911 calls from within the City of Punta Gorda to county dispatchers, rather than city dispatchers after hearing opposition from city leaders.
The resolution would make the county dispatch center the Primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), meaning all 911 calls would be fielded by county dispatchers even if the calls came from within the city limits.
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In February, Punta Gorda’s City Council voted down a plan to completely consolidate the city and county dispatches. During that meeting, residents and city leaders agreed the city should keep its own dispatch, as city dispatchers are more familiar with the area and “landmarks”, and have faster response times, according to the city.
City leaders including Mayor Debi Lux, Interim City Manager Melissa Reichert and District 1 Council member Jeannine Polk spoke against the resolution during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This move is being advanced without the support of the city, and despite vocal opposition from residents,” said Mayor Lux while addressing the commissioners. “It raises the question: why move forward when the city and its residents have made this position so clear? If something is working well, why change it?”
“The city provides a faster dispatch time for our police and fire department than the county,” said Reichert. “City residents have voiced their opinions that they wished to retain the city’s dispatch center to include 911 calls. The city council unanimously voted to keep the city’s dispatch center intact.”
Also, according to Reichert, city dispatchers are able to dispatch initial medical calls to the fire department in an average of 39 seconds, compared to the 2:22 reported in the county’s fire and EMS strategic plan update presented in Dec. 2024.
“The consolidation of a 911 dispatch is a complex process that requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders,” said Polk, noting a lack of communication about the plan. “One Punta Gorda citizen said this feels more like a hostile takeover.”
Commissioners Joe Tiseo, Chris Constance, and Stephen R. Deutsch voted to postpone taking action on the resolution for two weeks, to give Sheriff Bill Prummell another opportunity to speak with city leaders about the resolution’s impact.
"I’m disappointed that the County Commissioners did not initiate a joint meeting with the Punta Gorda City Council, including the Sheriff, as well as the City’s Police and Fire Chiefs, to have an open, transparent, and informative discussion about the 911 dispatch system before today's meeting.
However, I’m grateful to Commissioners Constance, Deutsch, and Tiseo for agreeing to pause the vote and allow the Sheriff to present directly to the City Council. This is a positive step toward better communication and collaboration."
The resolution stems from a recommendation by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, that encourages dispatch centers to consolidate, and eliminate transferring 911 calls in order to be more efficient. Sheriff Bill Prummell has stated he supports the consolidation, which would give the sheriff’s office an opportunity to respond quicker to emergencies in areas that may straddle the county/city line.
However, Punta Gorda Police Chief Pam Smith, who was appointed to the commission, said currently the city in compliance with the commission's recommendations. She said if the resolution is approved, calls for service within the city would need to be transferred to city dispatchers by the county, adding to response times.
“The recommendation is not to transfer calls if you don’t have primary responsibility over those first responders,” said Chief Smith. “That’s what would happen if the county took over the calls and started transferring them back to us. They then would be not following the recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act”
Sheriff Prummell is expected to meet with city leaders within the next two weeks, and commissioners are expected to pass the resolution during the commission’s next meeting on April 22.
