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Exploring the dynamics
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end of the day, the county governments still retain the
control but the state and federal governments provide
the assistance. So that is how our system works. (ID11)
Local governments can collaborate with state and federal
governments for the purposes of training and exercises.
Interviewees point out that FEMA and FDEM usually provide
various EM-related training opportunities through conferences
or workshops (ID3-2 & ID7). Local governments are
encouraged to attend. A small county EM director describes a
case about how their county EM agency collaborates with state
and local health departments to conduct flu exercises (ID8). In
reality, it may be too much for a small county to successfully
conduct a county-wide flu exercise if they fail to collaborate
with the state health department.
The purpose of information and voice exchange can also
be essential to vertical collaboration (ID12). In Florida, county
governments exchange information with state governments to
make sure that all plans and procedures work properly and do
not conflict with state guidelines, which is important for
maintaining good communication and a good relationship with
the state governments. Additionally, the county governments
want their voices to be heard by the state governments to certify
that FDEM will not establish an unfeasible EM policy or
unrealistic EM plan.
B. Activities and Rationales for Horizontal-
Interlocal Collaboration
In Florida, collaboration between neighboring counties or
among county governments in the same region is common and
frequent. For example, in normal times, counties may work with
neighboring counties to write a proposal to apply for state or
federal mitigation grants. Informal and formal relationships
among counties can be built through joining professional
networking organizations (e.g., the Florida Emergency