Manatee County’s 311 call center providing more than government services during the pandemic

© Provided by WWSB Tampa Manatee 311 center a year later

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) – A year ago, Manatee County launched its 311 call center in order to help residents with government services, but it has since expanded.

From Monday to Friday, Theresa McDaniel answers multiple calls with a goal to provide an answer.

“It’s pretty busy here,” she said.

McDaniel works for the Manatee County 311 center, which launched on March 11, 2020. Its initial plan was to allow residents alert county workers of things like pot holes, broken sidewalks, and other county services.

Manatee County’s 311 call center providing more than government services during the pandemic

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“Between here and there we have our normal building department, we take some phone calls for the {Manatee County} Sheriff’s Department non-emergency,” she said.

However, it has since switched gears by adding coronavirus information to their services.

“Our county service calls, we may have got maybe 25 to 30 a day,” said Marcia Bacon, 311 supervisor. “Then when COVID came, the calls just shot up.”

How much? Roughly 4,000 to 6,000 calls daily, according to the county officials.

“We just continued on and then it became the testing sites and where are they so they, so we just progressed into that. Then the vaccines are here now, we’re also helping with that,” said Bacon.

In the meantime, employees like McDaniel say they don’t mind answering those questions for callers.

“When you hang up the phone, they’re so thankful and so happy,” she said. “I’m just doin my job and I love it. And we get emails too, this one gal emailed me and said ‘can we go to dinner after?’ and I said sure.”

To report an issue, you can contact 311 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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