Sarasota County’s emergency responders say the calls keep coming, but the budget has not kept pace. This week, the county’s Emergency Services Department told commissioners it is “playing catch-up on growth” and is asking for roughly a 9.5 percent budget increase and about 17 million dollars to close service gaps in the south county.
Department leaders warned that rapid population growth and shifting service territories have stretched crews thin and led to missed response-time targets in 2025. The fix, they say, will not be cheap or easy, involving new staffing, equipment and a patchwork of short-term station locations that could be both costly and disruptive.
The proposal would push the department’s total operating budget to nearly 200 million dollars. It includes 4,370,000 dollars for new equipment and expanded facilities, according to YourSun. Emergency Services is also requesting about 3,000,000 dollars to staff fire engines with three people and 9,300,000 dollars for employee compensation…