A proposal to merge Punta Gorda’s 911 dispatch services with Charlotte County’s system is generating concern from city officials, who fear the change could delay emergency response times for local residents.
Punta Gorda resident Kathleen Davis recounted the night she woke up to find her home on fire. She immediately called 911, and help arrived almost instantly.
“We called 911,” she said. “I had the phone in my hand because it was the phone that woke me up. While we were standing in the yard, we could hear the sirens coming.”
Davis credits the city’s direct dispatch system for the rapid response.
“It’s just exemplary,” she said. “I’m not saying the county is bad — it’s good for what it is — but it’s a different setup.”
Currently, Punta Gorda operates its own Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), separate from Charlotte County’s 911 system. However, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell wants to reunify the two systems, which were once combined.
According to Prummell, the current separation causes delays in emergency response times.
“At the time we did this research, it took [Punta Gorda dispatch] about 63 seconds from when they got the call to when they dispatched the truck,” Prummell said. “Then the call transfers to us, and it takes another minute and 17 to 20 seconds to dispatch the ambulance.”
Because Charlotte County is the sole provider of EMS services in the area, calls originating from Punta Gorda must often be transferred, requiring callers to repeat critical information.
“If the county provides all 911 calls, they would go into my dispatch center,” Prummell said. “But that reverses the issue. Now I’d have to transfer calls to the city.”
Punta Gorda’s police and fire chiefs oppose the proposed change, citing efficiency concerns.
“If the county moves forward, we could lose the 911 calls coming directly into our dispatch from the city,” said Punta Gorda Fire Chief Holden Gibbs. “If they take that away, it could delay response times because calls would have to be transferred back over to us.”
Gibbs said the city’s protocols allow them to begin dispatching units earlier in medical emergencies, saving an average of 40 seconds compared to the county’s system.
Punta Gorda Police Chief Pam Smith agreed, calling the city’s existing system the most streamlined approach.
“If it’s going to go to another agency first, how’s that streamlining our response to calls in our own city?” Smith said. “The most efficient system is when the call goes straight to our dispatch and out to our first responders.”
In late February, the Punta Gorda City Council voted against combining the 911 systems. Smith said the decision reflects community sentiment.
“All the different groups I’ve spoken to love the way it works,” she said. “They don’t understand the need to change anything.”
Sheriff Prummell criticized the vote, saying it was rushed and that he wasn’t able to present his side.
“They knew in advance I couldn’t be there,” Prummell said. “But I watched the meeting, and a council member stated I wasn’t willing to work with them, which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Despite the council’s vote, the proposal is still in play. Prummell said he will meet jointly with the city council ahead of the next step: a vote by the Charlotte County Commission on April 22.
“If the county commission votes in favor of the merger, the initial 911 calls will go directly to the county, then be routed to us,” Gibbs said. “If they vote against it, the calls will continue to go directly to the city.”
The final decision could reshape how emergencies are handled across Punta Gorda — and how quickly help arrives when residents call 911.