Patrick McCreless, Govtech.com

Patrick McCreless

Govtech.com

Anniston, AL, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Govtech.com
  • The Anniston Star

Past articles by Patrick:

South Carolina Residents Lost $42M to Cyber Crime in 2021

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is responsible for publishing the annual report, fielded complaints from 5,426 victims in the state, according to a Tuesday FBI press release. → Read More

Mental Health Funding for Hurricane Michael Survivors Continues

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis said the FEMA had agreed to use the money to extend its Project Hope program for another 90 days in all counties hit by the Category 5 Hurricane Michael. The program employs mental health counselors in the hardest-hit areas. → Read More

Bay County, Fla., Police Limit Use of Doorbell Cameras

Panama City Beach, Fla., Police Chief Drew Whitman has said that he wants to use all of the latest technology to catch criminals, but not if that comes at the cost of residents' constitutional rights. → Read More

Friday Deadline for Bay County Private Property Debris Removal

Bay County, Florida is set to stop accepting applications for its private property debris removal program at 5 p.m. on Friday. The deadline comes after county officials extended the popular, federally-funded program in June. → Read More

Suspended Panama City First Responder Services Won’t be Back

"EMS is not going away in the city, what will be changing is the level of service offered by the city. That decision is certainly reserved to the city ... but it's not up to us to pick up those services for them,” the county manager said. → Read More

Verizon Hardens Florida Networks Ahead of Hurricane Season

Representatives from the telecommunications company said they have installed new equipment and assets in Bay County in recent months, diversifying its capabilities to better withstand even another Category 5 hurricane like Michael. → Read More

Bay County, Fla., Approves $2.8M in Hurricane Michael Repair

The projects include interior and exterior repairs for three Bay County Sheriff's Office buildings, along with significant roof work for the Bay County Courthouse. → Read More

Trump OK's 90/10 Split for Hurricane Michael Reimbursement

The decision to have the federal government cover 90 percent of disaster recovery costs should save Bay County, Fla., taxpayers millions of dollars in spending for debris removal and emergency protective measures needed after the Category 5 storm. → Read More

Bay County, Fla., Expects $80M Bill After FEMA Reimbursements

Currently, the $80 million would cover the county's portion of the $661 million total cost for hurricane damage in the county. It's such a large sum that county officials are looking at all options to pay it, from raising taxes to cutting services. → Read More

How Much is Bay County Expecting to Pay for Hurricane Michael Recovery?

The latest bond tops off the county's borrowing at a total of $250 million to pay for debris removal and infrastructure repair. County officials say the money is needed and they can't wait for federal disaster spending reimbursement — a process expected to take years. → Read More

'Final Pass' for Hurricane Michael Debris Pickup in Florida Counties Begins

The final wave of cleanup will last for about five weeks, after which any debris will be removed at homeowners' expense. The final pass comes soon after the Florida Department of Transportation recently announced it would end its debris pickup along state highways on April 15. → Read More

Hurricane Michael Debt Forces County to Cut Charity Funding

Bay County, Fla., expects to save nearly $350,000 a year by ending annual appropriations to up to eight outside agencies, starting with its 2020 fiscal year. → Read More

Hurricane Michael Relief Bill Unveiled by Florida State Lawmakers

State Sen. George Gainer said local governments could be waiting years for reimbursements from FEMA and wants to make sure they're taken care of in the meantime. → Read More

Four Months After Michael, Only Mexico Beach Has Seen a FEMA Reimbursement

Mexico Beach was the hardest hit area in the Panhandle, losing many of its homes and buildings after taking a direct hit from the Category 4 storm. → Read More

Bay County Approves $100 Million Bond for Hurricane Michael Recovery

The money will cover mainly debris removal, infrastructure and stormwater system repair. The decision comes after the county took out a similar $50 million bond for hurricane recovery in November. → Read More

Last Pass for Hurricane Michael Debris to Start March 11

Residents in the two Florida cities and incorporated areas of Bay County are encouraged to have all debris on their curbs by March 10 to help with the pickup. The final wave of cleanup will last through mid-April, after which any debris will be removed at homeowners' expense. → Read More

First Panama City FEMA Housing Site Online, Already Almost Filled

'The idea was to make sure people could live as close as possible to where they normally live.' → Read More

Bill Drops Federal Flood Insurance Cost for Some in Bay County, Fla.

Sponsored by Rep. Neal Dunn, the bipartisan bill specifically corrects maps created by the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. → Read More

Anniston nonprofit to offer training to help homeless with mental illnesses

An Anniston nonprofit wants to teach first responders and charities how to better assist homeless people with mental illness through a new federal grant. → Read More

JSU settled into mobile homes on campus

A week has passed since students moved into the new mobile homes following about a month of delays while JSU complied with state regulations to use the units. And so → Read More