Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read July 2023 — Miami-Dade County has approved a $212 million contract for a new emergency command center.
First reported by the Miami Herald, it was approved unanimously last Thursday without discussion. The multi-million dollar contract was awarded to Suffolk Construction Company, Inc. to design and build a new state-of-the-art emergency command center in Sweetwater. It includes a fortified bunker totalling 12 stories for government offices, personnel, and emergency services and vehicles.
The county’s current facility in Doral was built over 20 years ago in the late 1990s and was originally designed to withstand category 3 storms, and while the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has seen numerous upgrades throughout the years, stronger storms such as Hurricane Ian, which caused $112 billion in damages across Florida’s southwest and central regions, have become increasingly common. Today, the facility can withstand category 4 storms.
The last storm to hit Miami was Hurricane Nicole, which was the first hurricane to hit the state in November – after the season had ended, in 40 years
“The EOC was OK 20 years ago, but it’s not today,” said Alex Muñoz, director of the county’s Internal Services department, which manages county projects and buildings. “We’re at that point where we need all these other improvements.”
The old EOC will become the backup center once the new Sweetwater facility is built. The new facility will include three floors of office space, with the remaining consisting of parking for emergency response vehicles and other equipment, all encased within eight-inch reinforced walls that form a shell around the interior, furnished spaces. The building holds 100,000 square feet of space between the exterior walls and the 300,000 square foot interior. Finally, the facility roof will include a helipad and a radio antenna allowing for emergency broadcasts even in adverse conditions.
The new larger space would allow for further integration of command and control amongst emergency services and relevant parties, as well as continuity of government. Muñoz noted as an example that the National Weather Service would have space at the new site.
Adjacent to the new center’s location is the Lightspeed Facility, which will connect to the new emergency command center via a pedestrian bridge and provide a connection to the county’s Real Time Crime Center, numerous communication systems and the county’s 911 and 311 operators.
Miami Dade County’s Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, who has long championed environmental concerns as part of her administration, said, “We’re facing a future in which there is more frequent extreme weather. We need to ensure continuity of government.” She added, “So looking ahead, it is good practice to be prepared.”
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