MyPanhandle.com 

Bay Co. wins $40 mill battle against FEMA 

BAY COUNTY Fla. (WMBB) – After a two-year-long battle, FEMA is finally giving Bay County $40 million to repair roads damaged after Hurricane Michael. Hundreds of trucks, hauling millions of tons of debris for about a year caused most of the damage. The county officials said they plan to start the repair work as soon as possible. 

 

Miami Herald 

Should county jails still charge $2 a day for room and board? Inmates owe $72 million  

The $2 daily “subsistence” fee charged in Miami-Dade County jails for room and board rarely gets paid. Inmates owe $72 million, and Miami-Dade jail administrators want to drop the fee because of the disruption it causes behind bars. – Miami-Dade corrections Miami-Dade County jails charge inmates $2 a day for room and board, a fee that’s rarely paid and creates a shadow economy behind bars that administrators want to eliminate.  

 

Gainesville Business Report 

Alachua County Named an Innovator County by the Stepping Up Initiative 

Alachua County has been selected as one of Stepping Up’s growing cohort of Innovator Counties – counties that are successfully using the Stepping Up suggested three-step approach to collect and analyze timely data on the prevalence of people who have mental illnesses in jails. Alachua County will be sharing its experience and expertise and helping other counties across the nation learn to collect accurate and accessible data on the number of people with mental illnesses in their jails. 

 

Orlando Sentinel 

Orange County weighs new $34 million government office building 

With booming development and a surging population, Orange County government is eyeing a new home for its building divisions. The county is studying the possibility of building a multi-story office complex on 6 acres it owns near the Orange County Jail, said Anne Kulikowski, county director of administrative services. 

 

Lakeland Ledger  

‘This is 20 years overdue’: Polk County to add septage receiving stations at some wastewater  

BARTOW — Polk County is set to build septage receiving stations at existing wastewater treatment plants in about 18 months. Once those facilities are up and running, the county could move to ban land disposal of sewage, according to discussion at the county’s agenda study on Monday. 

 

CBS 12 

Sheriff Snyder brings body camera pitch to Martin County commissioners 

STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — Suited up and patrolling the streets of Martin County are 266 field-deputies. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office, at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting said road-personnel run the risk of coming face-to-face with danger, which should be caught on body-worn cameras for a number of reasons. 

 

CBS4 

Miami-Dade County Commission Passes Tenant Bill Of Rights 

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Renters in Miami-Dade walked out of Tuesday’s commission meeting with bright smiles. It’s because commissioners voted unanimously to pass the Tenant Bill of Rights ordinance. “It will help alleviate the pressure they feel,” said District 2 Commissioner Jean Monestime, who is also co-sponsor of the legislation 

 

ARPA 

Ormond Beach Observer 

Volusia County Council tables grant agreement to allocate ARPA funds for domestic violence services 

Though the Volusia County Council had already approved the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds for domestic violence services, on Tuesday, May 3, the County Council voted 6-1 to table a grant agreement with the Beacon Center until June 7, citing a “vague” budget plan and concern about the domestic violence shelter’s proposal to use a portion of the funds for a statewide conference.  

 

CYBERSECURITY 

Route-Fifty.com 

Ransomware Attacks on Governments More Frequent, Damaging and Costly 

Attackers targeting states and localities demanded the lowest ransom payments of any sector surveyed, but victims were more likely to pay, according to a recent report. Ransomware is getting worse—in just about every way. Between the growing number and sophistication of attacks and the increasing financial burden it places on state and local governments, the impact is immense. 

 

Route-Fifty.com  

Cybersecurity Agency Points to Water Sector in Seeking $80M More for FEMA Grants 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FEMA are rolling out the first of $1 billion the Homeland Security agencies got to help state and local entities improve cybersecurity.  As the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency prepares to disburse $1 billion in funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to improve the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure around the country, director Jen Easterly drew lawmakers’ attention to the needs of the water sector in asking for the program to receive an additional $80 million.