Should Daytona Beach spend close to $1 million on a mobile command vehicle?
DAYTONA BEACH — When floods and tropical storms wreak havoc on this city, residents and business owners want help and they want it NOW.
So to meet the need for speed for city services, staff are asking for a new but pricey natural disaster recovery tool: A $951,000 mobile permitting and licensing center.
The vehicle would resemble the city police department's mobile command vehicle, an air-conditioned office on wheels complete with Wi-Fi, desks and a meeting room.
Such a resource would bring staff to stricken areas sooner and help residents get permit applications underway to speed vital repairs. It might also be utilized in the fight against major brush fires or provide aid after a building collapse.
Staff supports the purchase, but some residents have expressed concern about the cost and whether such a vehicle is really necessary.
City commissioners were scheduled to vote on the purchase at their meeting Wednesday night, but the agenda item was delayed until May 15.
Customizing mobile command vehicles
Mobile command units can be as large as recreational vehicles, or they can be the size of a food truck. The vehicles can be customized to offer different things, and the user can decide how they want the space inside to be subdivided.
They can come equipped with multiple video screens, cameras that show what's around the vehicle, whiteboards, phones, satellite dishes, and myriad other perks.
The vehicle Daytona Beach is considering would run on a diesel-powered generator.
"In times of disaster you have to mobilize and create disaster recovery centers," said Daytona Beach Fire Chief Dru Driscoll, who's also a deputy city manager.
The City Hall on wheels could be a place to fill out forms for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, contact an insurance company, or provide water and ice, he said.
Driscoll said he could see the fire department using the mobile command vehicle, as well.
"Its primary purpose is disaster recovery," he said.
While the vehicle would be expensive, "it's really a public service expenditure," said Deputy City Manager Jim Morris.
"There can be chaos after a storm," Morris said.
After serious storms, people often prefer to stay with their property because their homes are vulnerable to theft or vandalism. And sometimes they can't leave because their vehicle is inoperable or they're taking care of an injured family member.
About the mobile unit manufacturer
When the item was discussed by the commission, not everyone was sold on the purchase.
Daytona beachside resident John Nicholson isn't convinced it would be worth the money, which would come from the city's Permits and License Special Revenue Fund.
"Almost $1 million sounds like an awful lot for a vehicle that I don't know what they're going to do with it," Nicholson said.
Daytona Beach resident Evelyn Rodriguez had lots of questions.
"Where is it going to be stored? In Public Works? Will we have to build a hangar?" Rodriguez asked. "Why do we need it?"
The Sanford-based manufacturer Daytona Beach has been talking to, MBF Industries, has been making the mobile units since 1992. The 32-year-old company has built bloodmobiles, broadcast trucks and mobile radiology treatment vehicles.
Among its customers is the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Andy Grose, a senior sales consultant for MBF, said his company can build a mobile unit that can run off of an electric hookup or a whole-house generator. The vehicles are custom built and it can take about two years to build one, Grose said.
"We customize every part for each user," Grose said. "It will function like a brick-and-mortar office, but it has wheels."
You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach considering $951,000 mobile command vehicle purchase
