Legislative

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SB742 has unanimously passed the House and Senate floors and is awaiting the signature of the Governor!

Effective October 1, 2012 all public safety telecommunicators must be certified. Florida APCO is gearing up to assist our public safety agencies with training needs! Look for upcoming regional workshops to go over the DOH Standards.

Regional workshops are planned throughout the state:

It is our intention to post as much information regarding the progress of 401.465 on our Chapter website: www.apco-florida.org . In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can contact any of the Chapter Board members listed below:

APCO Florida Chapter Board Members – Contact Information:

Ricky Rowell, President rickyr@nassaucountysheriff.com 904.548.4022

Sue Pettingill, Legislative Oversight susan.pettingill@ocfl.net 407-832-8830

Debbie Gailbreath, Executive Council Rep dgailbr@scgov.net 941-915-6803

We have a very large 911 community within our state. Because all are not APCO members, please forward this information to any of your contacts in an effort to clear up any misconceptions or rumors that have surfaced regarding this issue.

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Below is some history of what the Florida Chapter of APCO had to go through to get this bill passed!

Standards and Certification endeavor.

Florida 9-1-1 dispatchers currently have no standardized training or certification process. We are not viewed as ‘professionals’ because we have no way to show that we are.

Firefighters, police officers, corrections officers, massage therapists, hair stylists all have State Certification. They are required to attend standardized training that is State recognized before receiving their certification.

The proposed change will give dispatchers, call takers and teletype operators

the same certification and recognition as these other professions.

The change will require passage of a bill through both the

Florida House and the Florida Senate.

This effort is supported by Florida APCO, the Florida Firefighters Union and the

Florida Sheriff’s Association and many other organizations.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION FLYER

The Regional Representatives are as follows:

· Northwest - Leigh Brandt: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Jackson, Calhoun, Bay, Gulf, Gadsen, Liberty, Leon, Wakulla, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette and Dixie.

· Northeast - Sharon Falcone & Lisa Cahill: Columbia, Gilchrist, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Levy, Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. John's, Putnam, Flagler, Marion and Volusia.

· Central - Amy Campbell and Robert Jeffrey; Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Brevard, Osceola, Polk, Pasco and Indian River.

· Southeast - Natalie Heneks, Lisa Figueredo; Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martine, Palm Beach, Broward, Monroe and Dade.

· Southwest - Margaret Hamrick; Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee, Desoto, Highlands, Glades, Charlotte, Lee, Hendry and Collier.


	*Contact Us:* The Florida Chapter Of APCO P.O. Box 50883 Sarasota, FL 34232