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Description

Executive Summary

Florida EMS at a Glance

What the system said

  • Agency size shapes capacity. Larger agencies generally have more staffing flexibility, stronger wellness and data infrastructure, broader disaster coordination, and faster adoption of newer practices.
  • The workforce shortage centers on paramedics. Three in five agencies report a staffing shortage, with 58.5 percent reporting a paramedic shortage. Higher starting pay is associated with fewer vacancies, pointing primarily to a recruitment challenge.
  • Fire and non-fire agencies show different strengths. Fire departments lead in tactical readiness and dispatch-linked capabilities. Non-fire agencies more often report customer feedback systems, health information exchange participation, incentive-linked performance measures, medication-assisted treatment, and tranexamic acid use.
  • Community programs do not always track need equally. Opioid-focused programming aligns closely with local burden, especially in the Panhandle, while infant mortality programming shows no comparable relationship with county infant mortality rates.

Priorities for action

  • Strengthen the paramedic pipeline through competitive starting pay, training pathways, and targeted recruitment.
  • Connect smaller agencies to shared infrastructure for data exchange, disaster coordination, behavioral health support, and specialized programs.
  • Scale strengths across service models rather than treating one organizational model as the statewide benchmark.
  • Match community health investments to measurable local need and plan for the eventual expiration of opioid settlement funding.

Bottom line: Florida EMS has strong clinical foundations, but future gains depend on closing workforce gaps, supporting smaller agencies, and aligning programs more deliberately with community need.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Comments

This report is the intellectual property of the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services (FL-CEMS) at the University of South Florida. It may be shared freely for non-commercial use with proper attribution. No part of this publication may be reproduced for sale or profit without express permission.

Amplifying Florida EMS Voices: Results of the 2026 Annual Agency Survey

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