Jesse Scheckner
Members of the Legislature’s upper and lower chambers haven’t yet agreed on how much, if any, state funding to apportion for a planned Emergency Response Training Center (ERTC) at Palm Beach State College.
The House has suggested covering all the $4.1 million the school asked for this year through appropriation requests Democratic Sen. Lori Berman and Republican Rep. Mike Caruso filed ahead of Session.
The Senate’s offer, as of 7 p.m. Tuesday: Nothing.
In a brief meeting of the Conference Committee on Higher Education Appropriations, neither Senate Co-Chair Keith Perry of Gainesville nor House Co-Chair Jason Shoaf of Port St. Joe mentioned the earmark. And so, the issue remains unresolved.
The requested nonrecurring funds, if cleared, would add to $3 million in one-time set-asides lawmakers approved last year for the project. Florida TaxWatch advised against funding the ERTC the previous year.
The money would go toward expanding Palm Beach State College’s 143,000-square-foot Public Safety Training Center, which opened in 2013, to better educate students and municipal, state and federal first responders for large-scale emergencies and natural disaster relief.
The ERTC, Palm Beach State College personnel wrote, “will improve the quality and frequency of training available to first responders in our local service area and throughout the state of Florida, with a long-term goal of attracting first responders from around the country.”
It would also help pay for expanded course offerings on related subjects and potentially lead to training partnerships with federal agencies.
“Public safety is an ever-evolving topic,” the requests said. “This facility will provide a venue for first responders as well as state and federal teams to prepare and train together. By providing topical advance training, we will protect the public through emergency preparedness as well as appropriate response to emergencies around our state and the nation.”
According to Caruso’s request, county emergency managers have expressed written support for the project, which also has the blessing of CFO and Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis and his staff.
Lobbyist Shawn Foster of Sunrise Consulting Group represented Palm Beach State College in seeking the money.
