BUNNELL — There were a lot of tough questions when Flagler County commissioners met Monday to discuss plans to remedy the situation at the Sheriff’s Office Operations Center.
But after more than two hours of talk, few solid solutions were offered.
Sheriff Rick Staly sent county officials a strongly worded letter last week amid concerns that the building in which his agency is headquartered may be exposing employees who work there to toxic contaminants that are making them sick. He urged county officials to quickly find an alternative workspace for his employees while they work to figure out what, if anything, is contaminating the building.
The county owns the building and is obliged by state law to provide facilities for Sheriff's Office employees.
On Monday, Staly met with Dr. Zdenek Hejzlar, a Fort Meyers environmental scientist that county officials hired last week to conduct a new barrage of tests at the operations center. Hejzlar did a walk through of the complex Monday morning and sat with Staly and members of the County Commission during an afternoon workshop. It became quickly apparent during the rountable session that neither short- or long-term solutions will be easy to find.
About 60 officers and civilian employees are stationed in the agency’s 34,000 square-foot command center, and 27 of them have filed worker's compensation claims within the past month, according to the sheriff. Four detectives who work out of a special investigators office on the east side of the building have complained of skin rashes, hives, headaches and other symptoms of a possible immune disorder.
Two detectives are on sick leave, including Detective Elizabeth “Annie” Conrad, who was named the Sheriff’s Office employee of the year last month. She said her doctor has told her not to enter the operations center.
County officials are trying to narrow down the possibilities to find out why so many Sheriff’s Office employees stationed at the operations center, which was rebuilt on the site of the former Memorial Hospital-Flagler campus, are reporting sicknesses, what kind of testing needs to be done, and whether the operations center is a “sick building.”
At the same time, they must figure out what to do with employees, whether there needs to be a full evacuation of the building, and how much it could all cost.
And time is of the essence. Staly said fears among workers at the operations center have reached a fever pitch, with many of them requesting transfers. He's concerned that a "mass exodus" from the building will take place.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.