Franklin County is moving forward on plans for a new Emergency Operations Center for the county.
Last November the County was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management for the architectural and engineering services for a new County Emergency Operations Center.
COVID-19 forced a delay in the process, but the county is now ready to move forward.
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 also be located at the airport, though in a better location.
Franklin County is the only coastal county in the panhandle that does not have a new EOC and after Hurricane Michael the need for a new building is even more obvious.
The county is seeking construction funds from the legislature and hope the program will be funded next year.
If not, the county does have a million dollars in BP oil spill money that could be used if necessary, though the county has other needed projects it would like to use that money for.
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