Funding for COVID testing site in Manatee in jeopardy as demand and new cases climb
State-run COVID testing sites could be in jeopardy after Florida Department of Emergency Management officials told county emergency managers last week that they should look for ways to fund and staff those testing sites beginning in January.
But with the ability to apply for federal CARES Act funds set to expire Dec. 30, Manatee County and likely many of the other 66 counties in the state will not have the ability to fund these sites.
“This is a great example of why the CARES funding should be extended, if they want us to pick up and continue the testing,” Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said.
The off-the-cuff message was delivered during a regular statewide call between officials at FDEM and county emergency managers on Nov. 13. There was no written directive that followed.
Numerous attempts were made by the Bradenton Herald to speak with FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz since Monday to no avail. But when questioned by a Miami Herald reporter in Tallahassee, Moskowitz painted a different picture than what was conveyed to county emergency managers. He suggested the counties had to ask for money to continue testing and implied it would now be a county responsibility.
“Counties that are funding their testing sites with CARES Act money and that money ends, is the state going to pick it up?” Moskowitz said. “My answer would be right now: I have no request from any counties to do that. So until I can get those requests, it’s just like anything else with DEM, you make the requests.”
But Saur said there has been no indication from the state that counties would have to request funds to continue testing. DEM has not explained how many county sites this change in policy would affect but a bipartisan coalition of mayors on Wednesday said they believe state-funded COVID testing sites in Miami-Dade and Broward counties have begun to ramp down and the counties have started to fill the gap.
Manatee County has one state-run testing site located at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto. The state has not indicated any intention to close the site.
“I would not even know what to budget for,” Saur said. “The state hired a third party company to run that and I don’t even know what they are paying them.”
Funding aside, Saur has concerns with the timing of these discussions.
“It’s a week before the holiday, if they want us to take it over in January, we have four weeks to plan,” Saur said.
Saur, who oversees several county departments including emergency management, is confident these discussions have been on-going because the contract for use of county property for the testing site is also set to expire on Dec. 31.
“When they moved from Lincoln Park to the (Bradenton Area Convention Center), we did an agreement because the state wanted an agreement,” Saur said.
There had never been an written agreement previously to use Lincoln Park in Palmetto, according to Saur, but he questioned the end date, rather than simply requiring a standard 30 days notice to cancel.
Saur said they were told, “If we need to extend, we will move it past.”
Demand for testing increases as new cases spike
The state cited a decline in testing demand late this past summer when it shuttered some testing sites, including the only other site in Manatee County, located at Home Depot, 2350 Cortez Road W., Bradenton.
But as cases rise in Manatee County — there were 107 new cases in Manatee reported Wednesday — demand for testing has more than tripled compared to a month ago.
In the week ending Wednesday, there were 5,280 people tested at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.. That was up from 2,846 in the prior week.
Miami Herald staff writer Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 4:27 PM.
