TAMPA, Fla. — Monday likely marked the last meeting of Hillsborough County‘s emergency policy group, at least in its current form.
On Wednesday, the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners is expected to vote to dissolve the EPG and take over emergency responses itself, including COVID-19 and hurricanes.
“We will definitely keep you all abreast of what’s going on,” EPG Chairman Les Miller assured those who would no longer be on the panel. “That’s the right thing for us to do. It’s our responsibility.”
“I’m not mad, or angry or anything like that, but I’m a little disappointed that I feel like we’re being replaced in the fourth quarter here,” said Temple Terrace Mayor Andy Ross.
Hillsborough’s EPG is currently made up of three County commission members, the mayors of Hillsborough’s three largest cities, the Hillsborough County Sheriff, and the Chair of the Hillsborough school board.
On Monday, some of them voiced disappointment and concern that diversity of interests and political opinions could be lost.
“I really hope that you always look at the business bankruptcies that are occurring, unemployment, look at the economic data. Look at the mental health, the suicide rates, and a lot of other key factors,” said Plant City Mayor Rick Lott.
“I know we don’t always agree on everything, as we should not, because we represent a lot of diverse parts of our county,” said School Board Chair Melissa Snively.
Of Florida’s 67 counties, Hillsborough is the only one with an emergency policy group.
But Temple Terrace Mayor Andy Ross said that shouldn’t be viewed as a liability.
“Maybe that’s why we’re so good at working together,” said Ross, “Because we are the county that’s got an EPG. And if you go to other cities, they are not capable of working together like we are.”
The Hillsborough commissioners who sit on the EPG vowed that the lines of communication between the county, its cities, law-enforcement and school system would remain open.
On Wednesday, the public will have an opportunity to comment ahead of the vote.
Monday, EPG members also got an update from the health department on the latest statistics regarding COVID-19 in Hillsborough. Most figures regarding testing, hospitalization and ICU capacity remain steady or trending lower, but the death rate continued to climb on average over the past seven days.
Starting next week, some of the area’s major test sites including Raymond James Stadium will be receiving self-administered nasal swab test kits which will be processed by a second laboratory. They hope that that will speed up the amount of time it’s been taking to get results.
The EPG also voted 5-3 to leave the county’s mask mandate in place and unchanged for now.
- Tropical Storm Isaias forecast to strengthen into a hurricane today
- 'Not what we were anticipating': Boaters surround SpaceX capsule amid splashdown
- Florida reports another 4,752 COVID-19 cases, positivity rate again below 10 percent
- Deputies: Man on the run after shooting his coworker
- Early voting begins across Tampa Bay this week
- Delta pilots turn plane around when 2 passengers refuse to wear masks
FREE 10 TAMPA BAY APP:
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter