Subject:
Title
Agreement to receive E911 trust fund monies from the State of Florida for Equipment Refresh for Vesta E911 phone system.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the agreement certifying that monies received from the State of Florida will be used to refresh and upgrade the existing E911 system that supports St. Petersburg Police Department and Clearwater Police Department Secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) as well as the backup center for the primary PSAP, the Regional 911 Center.
• The current E911 Vesta system hardware and workstations are at the end of life, and the software requires an upgrade.
• This refresh and upgrade are required to prevent the degradation of the system as it ages beyond its end of life.
• State E911 grant funds exist to assist in funding these costs.
• This grant will fund the purchase of all required equipment, workstations, and the first year of maintenance and support for the Vesta E911 system that supports the receipt and processing of 911 calls for St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
• Funding for this grant was not anticipated during the development of the Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Budget; however, the funds were included in the Regional 911 Fund in the Safety and Emergency Services Budget as a change to the proposed budget. These funds are used on a cost reimbursement basis. No matching funds are required.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention, and protective services to ensure a safe
and secure community
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.1 Maximize partner relationships and public outreach
5.3 Ensure effective and efficient delivery of county services and support
Summary:
Summary
The State Grant Program is provided to assist Florida counties with the provision of enhanced 911 systems including the purchase and maintenance of E911 call handling systems such as this Vesta system. The E911 Board assists eligible counties through the E911 State Grant Program using E911 trust fund monies.
The agreement requires approval and signature from the Board of County Commissioners.
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Background Information:
The Pinellas County Regional 911 Center acts as the steward of all 911 Fee funding for Pinellas County including the five secondary PSAPs.
Grant monies received will be used for procurement, project management, replacement, installation, and testing of new computers, servers, software, and other technical equipment for the two of the County’s secondary PSAPs, St Petersburg PD and Clearwater PD, and the backup center for the primary PSAP, the Regional 911 Center. This upgrade will ensure 911 services are not interrupted due to 5-year-old equipment that is operating 24 hours 7 days a week. This project complies with the recommendations and requirements specified in the State E911 Plan providing geodiversity and redundancy.
Fiscal Impact:
Grant funds of $1,918,398.20 shall be provided on a cost reimbursement basis. No matching funds are associated with this grant. This grant was not anticipated during the development of the FY25 Proposed Budget; however these funds were included in fund 1025 “Changes to the Proposed Budget Phase” on August 1, 2024.
Staff Member Responsible:
Judith Weshinskey-Price, Director, Regional 911 Division
James Fogarty, Bureau Director, Safety and Emergency Services
Partners:
State of Florida, E911 Board
Attachments:
Agreement for the E911 State Grant Program
Grant Award Letter