ORLANDO, Fla. – A roundtable discussion in Orlando Thursday looked at what is being done to help Central Florida’s most vulnerable populations deal with the worsening summer heat, as data shows Florida is one of the top states for emergency calls for heat-related incidents.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando hosted the discussion with representatives from Orange County government, the City of Orlando’s government, the Homeless Services Network, and the Christian Service Center.
“We don’t even have a heat plan, nationally and we don’t have a heat plan locally,” Frost said. “These are things we need to figure out.”
Data from a federal dashboard that tracks emergency calls for heat-related incidents shows Florida was ranked number three in the nation from June 1 through June 14.
The dashboard shows five Central Florida counties that have EMS activations at a rate that is “much higher than average:” Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, and Sumter counties. In fact, Marion County’s rate is the third highest in the state, while Orange County’s is the fourth highest.
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Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia counties have EMS activations at a “higher than average” rate, while Brevard County has an EMS activation rate that is lower than average.
Frost’s office tells News 6 that the congressman wants to see what actions local governments and organizations are taking and whether there’s a way the federal government can support those actions, either through federal dollars or legislation.
News 6 meteorologists report that Central Florida experienced the hottest month of May on record. Orlando, Melbourne, Leesburg and Sanford all recorded temperature averages of 81 degrees or higher, with temperatures hovering around 3 degrees above normal.
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