When the Storm Hits, Local Tax Dollars Respond

Published on October 20, 2026

Hurricane Isaias swept through Florida’s western Panhandle as a Category 2 storm in early October, where recovery is still under way and will be for months.  

A coordinated response

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and state leaders mobilized regional task forces before and immediately after landfall. One of them, Florida Task Force 3 Urban Search and Rescue, is made up of personnel from the St. Petersburg, Hillsborough County and Tampa fire rescue agencies. The team deployed 74 people to Tallahassee.

The team includes hazardous materials and medical specialists, swift-water rescue personnel and structural specialists who can assist if buildings have collapsed. Responders also bring high-water rescue vehicles, boats, skid steers, debris-clearing tools and other specialized equipment to reach flooded or blocked rural roads.

Local agencies say the team’s preparation starts well before a storm hits. Local fire chiefs echo that point: the ability to respond within hours of a disaster is the result of year-round training and year-round preparation, not a last-minute effort.

“During major storms, our Emergency Operations Center brings together staff from across the City to coordinate our response, share information and make sure resources are going where they're needed most,” said Dunedin Fire Rescue Chief Michael Handoga. “We've seen firsthand how important it is for communities to work together, whether it's receiving assistance from neighboring agencies when Dunedin needs help or sending our own personnel and resources to support other communities that have been hit hard by a disaster.”

Where the resources come from

The people, vehicles, equipment and training behind these deployments are made possible largely by local property taxes. These dollars help fund the fire rescue agencies that staff specialized teams, maintain rescue vehicles and boats and keep personnel certified in skills like swift-water rescue and hazardous materials response. Those same resources serve residents every day, and they are available to assist other communities when a disaster strikes – like here in the Tampa Bay region in 2024 after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.