To the Editor:
Over this past year I have attended all of the meetings regarding ambulance transport service for Sumter County either in person or virtually. The Sumter County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) voted to have two existing entities – The Villages Public Safety Department and Sumter County Fire and Rescue assume responsibility for ambulance transport service to the residents of Sumter County beginning October 1, 2022. This will end a 10-year period of sub-standard ambulance service contractually provided by AMR.
This situation should not have been a surprise to Sumter County Administrator, Bradley Arnold who in today’s (12/21/2021) edition of The Villages Daily Sun was quoted that “Sumter County Fire and Rescue, which services the area outside of The Villages, may not be taking that role after all.” Apparently Mr. Arnold stated he will present other options to the BOCC next month. This is an action that affects Sumter County residents outside of the boundaries of The Villages and could have severe medical consequences to those residents.
The Villages Public Safety Department, under the leadership of Chief Edmund Cain, has moved forward to procure the necessary vehicles and equipment to provide ambulance service to the resident of The Villages (to also include those Villages residents in Marion and Lake Counties) and is ready to assume the responsibility on October 1, 2022. In the article Chief Cain stated “we have been meeting every week to establish a plan to be ready to engage our board to make the purchase. We are in position to proceed in January.” So why has the Sumter County Fire and Rescue and Administrator Bradley Arnold not followed suit to prepare for this transition?
Could it be that Mr. Arnold’s assistant county administrator, Stephen Kennedy, is married to AMR’s area manager that oversees the contract and as a result of this change will be out of a job? Remember that Mr. Arnold allowed this gross conflict of interest to exist and even supported it when AMR’s own data showed they had failed to achieve performance requirements going back to the beginning of the contract in 2010 yet continued to collect full payment. The article further stated that commissioners did not set funds aside to purchase vehicles and equipment in the 2022 budget so this is the excuse Bradley Arnold is using. With the continued expansive growth of The Villages bringing in additional revenues each year the funds are available. By dragging his feet on this issue, it appears that residents living outside the boundaries of The Villages, may be forced to continue with AMR.
The County Administrator is a paid employee of Sumter County and thus works at the pleasure of the BOCC and residents of Sumter County not the other way around. The BOCC were elected to represent ALL residents of Sumter County and make decisions on our behalf to ensure we have a safe place to live with the amenties our tax dollars pay for. Residents of The Villages will have a professional and efficient ambulance service beginning October 1, 2022. What about everyone else living in this County?
Commissioners Breeden, Gilpin, Search, Miller and Estep – do your damn job!
Susan Ridgeway
Village of Lake Deaton
