Franklin County now has enough money to begin construction of a new Emergency Operations Center, a project that has been in the works for over a decade.
Franklin County has been awarded a 2.6 million dollar grant through the Florida Division of Emergency Management to go towards the construction of the new Emergency Operations Center.
The county already had a 1-million-dollar congressional appropriation with assistance from Congressman Neal Dunn, and a million dollars from RESTORE’s Gulf Consortium.
A new EOC has been a top priority for the county for a number of years.
The current EOC building is located at the Apalachicola airport – it used to belong to the National weather service but was converted to Emergency Management use when the weather service moved to Tallahassee.
The aging building needs to be replaced – it's almost 50 years old, it is too small for an Emergency Operation Center and it's located is in a flood zone.
The new EOC will be located on 3 acres on Highway 65 near the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
It was initially planned to be located near the current EOC at the Apalachicola airport, but that would require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which could lead to more delays.
As construction is now funded, the county does not want to wait any longer for FAA approval of the site at the airport.
The Highway 65 location will eliminate the FAA from the process and since the property is not in a flood zone, it will also allow for the EOC to be constructed on the ground instead of having to be built on pilings.
Franklin County has been awarded a 2.6 million dollar grant through the Florida Division of Emergency Management to go towards the construction of the new Emergency Operations Center.
The county already had a 1-million-dollar congressional appropriation with assistance from Congressman Neal Dunn, and a million dollars from RESTORE’s Gulf Consortium.
A new EOC has been a top priority for the county for a number of years.
The current EOC building is located at the Apalachicola airport – it used to belong to the National weather service but was converted to Emergency Management use when the weather service moved to Tallahassee.
The aging building needs to be replaced – it's almost 50 years old, it is too small for an Emergency Operation Center and it's located is in a flood zone.
The new EOC will be located on 3 acres on Highway 65 near the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
It was initially planned to be located near the current EOC at the Apalachicola airport, but that would require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which could lead to more delays.
As construction is now funded, the county does not want to wait any longer for FAA approval of the site at the airport.
The Highway 65 location will eliminate the FAA from the process and since the property is not in a flood zone, it will also allow for the EOC to be constructed on the ground instead of having to be built on pilings.
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