Volusia County’s Emergency Operations Center is getting a $5 million, 4,500-square-foot expansion.
The county said the current facility on Tiger Bay Road in Daytona Beach needs more space to handle major storms.
The EOC is only 11 years old, but with a growing population and the impact of recent hurricanes on the area, Director Clint Mecham said it’s time to improve.
“In the event that we need to bunker in for a storm, we’ve got additional staff on the emergency management side. The sheriff’s office will bring in staff to maybe double up on staffing for the dispatch center in case people can’t make the commute so it gets very, very cramped,” said Mecham.
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Mecham adds that the expansion will allow for more training at the facility, and during storms, it will give staff a more comfortable place to stay rather than sleeping in offices. It will also include multipurpose rooms and a room for media briefings.
“We are also a backup for the state of Florida. It gives us the additional space if they need to relocate out of Tallahassee, it give us the additional space to accept that mission as well,” said Mecham.
The county hopes to have all the work done and the EOC up and running before the 2026 hurricane season.
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