Miami-Dade spending in covid war nears $900 million

Miami-Dade County spent more than $868 million through July 1, 2022, for emergency purchases in battling Covid-19, according to legislation coming before a county committee.

The Health, Emergency Management and Governmental Affairs Committee is being asked this week to ratify $67 million of those purchases.

As of Nov. 14, the county had been reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for $285.7 million for Covid-19 expenses through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the recommendation to the committee says. Almost $178 million was reimbursed through the Coronavirus Relief Fund of the CARES Act, which ended Dec. 31, 2021, and is now being reconciled for a final application of eligible expenditures.

Among county expenditures related to covid, the largest category by far was $253.8 million for testing and laboratory services, including tents and other supplies for testing locations. In the first six months of last year alone, these cost the county $62.8 million.

The second-largest category of expenditures was $253.8 million for meals. From March 16, 2020, through June 30, 2021, more than 25 million meals funded by the county for elderly residents were distributed.

The county also spent $43.5 million for covid-related staffing. This included nurses for sheltered residents and temporary staff for invoice processing.

The county spent $37.3 million on transportation services that included services to assist with on-demand transportation and vehicles such as trucks to move Covid-19 supplies for distribution around testing sites. The tents alone cost another $802,000.

Costs of vaccination were $6.8 million, with $4.8 million spent on hand sanitizers, including sanitizing stations mounted on walls or stands. Air filtration systems cost another $5.2 million to purify indoor air.

Consulting costs related to covid were $14.7 million for FEMA disaster recovery, veteran housing and basic needs programs, the residential landlord program, transit commuter counting analysis, feeding operations, and decontamination project monitoring and procedures.

Fever detection cost $1.4 million for cameras and screening equipment in county buildings.

Masks cost $18.4 million, gloves more than $4.6 million, and gowns $675,000. Spraying equipment cost $1 million.

The recommendation notes that “the county intends to pursue reimbursement for these emergency purchases under the FEMA and CARES Act, where feasible and permissible.”