The private company running ambulances in Sumter County was forced to double incentive pay over the Memorial Day holiday weekend in order to keep its shifts covered.
American Medical Response was reportedly forced to bring in emergency responders from as far away as Davie in order to provide adequate coverage for a 72-hour period over the holiday, including in The Villages.
Christine Kennedy, Sumter County operations manager for the ambulance company, indicated in a memo to Sumter County Administrator Bradley Arnold that AMR “doubled the shift incentives that we are offering.” She also confirmed in the memo that the company had been forced to “bring in staffing from our outlying areas.”
Davie is located in Broward County in South Florida. Davie is about 25 miles from Miami.
The slow response times of AMR ambulances have become a flashpoint in Sumter County. The topic drew a capacity crowd to a meeting May 18 at Everglades Recreation Center in The Villages.
As a result of that meeting, the Sumter County Commission agreed to establish an ambulance advisory committee. The application process for the committee has closed. Applicants will be discussed by the commission on June 8.