Florida Division of Emergency Management Honored with State IT Innovation of the Year Award for Digital Time Tracking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2021

Contact: Florida Division of Emergency Management, (850) 815-4940, ESF14@em.myflorida.com

Florida Division of Emergency Management Honored with State IT Innovation of the Year Award for Digital Time Tracking

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) has been named a StateScoop 50 Award winner in the State IT Innovation of the Year category for leveraging technology to improve the state’s COVID-19 response.

“My administration has always been committed to using efficient and trustworthy technology solutions to streamline bureaucratic state processes,” said Governor DeSantis. “This award is a testament to that commitment, and I applaud the Division for their technology-forward approach to disaster response.”

“By proactively implementing innovative technology in the state’s emergency responses, the Division can save time and focus on delivering critical resources to Floridians,” said FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie. “We are honored to be considered a leader in state government technology. We look forward to continuing this progress and improving future disaster responses.”

The StateScoop 50 Awards recognize innovative and influential projects in state government that use digital technology to complete these projects.

In January, FDEM partnered with technology company Merit to provide a fast, secure, paperless solution for tracking thousands of paid and volunteer medical professionals at COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites.

Through this partnership, the Division used Merit’s verified identity platform to track nearly 850,000 professional hours across more than 100 COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites since January. Based on the current tracking trajectory, nearly one million staff hours will be digitally accounted for by the end of June.

The Division has also used Merit for other components of the state’s COVID-19 response efforts, including the statewide outreach, registration and verification of more than 3,300 volunteer medical professionals. This partnership gave all 67 county emergency management directors the ability to access lists of verified, licensed medical professionals who wanted to volunteer at state- and county-supported COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites.

FDEM Director Guthrie was also nominated for a StateScoop 50 Award in the Golden Gov: State Executive of the Year category, which recognizes a “visionary state executive leading state government into a new technology landscape with innovate ideas and inspiring others to get on board.”

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