Argument, confusion as Pinellas decides future of EMS | News

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Hours of debate, argument, and confusion ended with Pinellas County commissioners only voting on one of the two issues on the agenda involving the county's EMS.

Commissioners narrowly voted 4-3 to extend the current contract with Sunstar ambulances (Paramedics Plus) for two more years. Pinellas County also promised the company exclusivity, meaning local firefighters will not be able to test a program to transport patients to the hospital. In return, Sunstar promises $6 million in savings for taxpayers.

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The decision was not what dozens of firefighters who showed up had in mind. Many fire districts hoped to take over emergency transport, they say, to keep both costs and response times low.

"If our citizens want us to cut the level of service, we'll cut firefighters' jobs. That's what we have to do. There's no way around it, but I haven't heard from the citizens that want to do that yet and that's what concerns me. What's going on here is not what I'm hearing from our citizenry," St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large says.

The other major issue facing commissioners involved creating 18 individual EMS tax districts. Many argued against that idea because it could mean taxes more than doubling in some cities like St. Petersburg and South Pasadena.

Commissioners supporting the tax districts called them "a tool." South Pasadena Mayor Kathleen Peters responded, "For some areas in this county that's not a tool, it's a weapon and an assault on these residents."

In the end, the county backed off when support wore so thin, no one would even second the motion to move forward with the tax districts. Commissioner Norm Roche asked, "So what do you do with it?"

Commission Chair Susan Latvala responded, "It dies for lack of a motion."

A commission of state legislators is set to gather Thursday to appoint an independent accountant to evaluate future options for EMS in Pinellas County.