Florida cities unveil technology wish lists

Published 29 March 2007

Cities from Miramar to Pembroke Pines get ready to spend their Urban Areas Security Initiative dollars; metal detectors and mobile traffic light manufacturers will find opportunities in the Sunshine State

Perhaps we should call our publication Florida Daily Wire. Every week, it seems, we are called upon to report on that troubled state’s homeland security efforts, most recently in regards to its ports and airports. Today, however, we bring news of something different: the wish list offered by various city planners as part of their attempt to claim $698,000 each from DHS’s Urban Areas Security Initiative. Such information, we hope, will prove useful to readers looking for new marketing opportunities in everything from portable traffic lights to license plate readers.

The city of Miramar, for instance, intends to spend $58,300 for twelve of the battery-operated, mobile traffic lights mentioned above, while Hollywood will spend $400,000 on a mobile command and communications vehicle. Davie will get $37,800 to pay for laptops, Pembroke Pines will spend $132,000 on GPS mapping system, Sunrise expects to pay $109,000 for thirty metal detectors, and Fort Lauderdale is using $20,000 to create a community emergency response team to train volunteers for post-disaster clean-up efforts. All numbers come courtesy of the Miami Herald.