From property taxes to fire fees, there’s been a lot of talk lately about how your taxpayer money is being spent.

If you’ve spotted a car with cameras mounted on top driving through your neighborhood lately, it’s not from Google Maps. It’s part of a new statewide effort to prepare for natural disasters before they strike.

From poorly-functioning kennel gates to expensive portable A/C units, overcrowding isn’t the only issue Seminole County's animal shelter faces.

As we hit the height of hurricane season, leaders in Seminole County are planning for what factors may impact the cost of recovery.

The county’s plan includes opening cooling centers with mister fans and bottled water and working with partners such as The Sharing Center and Rescue Outreach Mission to make sure they have the resources they need.

Emergency management teams staged a full-scale sheltering exercise at Oviedo City Church, simulating the aftermath of a Category 3 hurricane.

Alan Harris has been Seminole County’s emergency manager since 2006 and notes that flooding has changed significantly over the past two decades.

We met up with Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris to see how he sandbags his home. He says there is absolutely a “correct” way to do it!

From citizen academies to community outreach programs, Seminole County is doing a whole lot more than just bracing for the next storm.

As the winds die down and the rain subsides, it’s tempting to think the worst is over once a storm has passed. However, the reality is often quite different.

With less than 70 days until the start of the next hurricane season, Seminole County is starting to update its floodplain management plan for the next five years.

Recent comments by President Trump have stirred discussions, as he suggested that FEMA might need to be revamped or possibly even discontinued.

We met up with Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris to see how he sandbags his home. He says there is absolutely a “correct” way to do it!

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said Friday that flooding is expected to continue through next week after Hurricane Milton.

Up to 90% of the county could have its power knocked out as Milton passes through, officials say.

Emergency officials in Seminole County are urging families to prepare for Hurricane Milton’s arrival this week. Emergency Alan Harris says people should be prepared for flooding, power outages, and debris.

Water levels are high and concerning in Seminole County as residents wait to see what Hurricane Helene brings. The St. Johns River near Lake Monroe is already inches below the action stage from the summer storms a few weeks ago.

Emergency Management is urging families in Seminole County to get prepared for Hurricane Helene as it heads toward Florida.

The division manager of Seminole County Animal Services has resigned amid mounting criticism of a since-halted pet diversion program.

Seminole County Animal Services has halted its "diversion" program designed to give people resources instead of just surrendering their pets.

Crews in Seminole County are out clearing ditches and other drainage systems in preparation for more rainfall on the way.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be a pretty active one and after some bad storms in recent years, Seminole County leaders are taking action.

Do you know how to tarp a roof or where to place your generator if you lose power? You may need to know when a hurricane hits.

As the winds die down and the rain subsides, it’s tempting to think the worst is over once a storm has passed. However, the reality is often quite different.

Hurricane season officially begins Saturday, and leaders in Seminole County are urging residents to prepare.

Seminole County is hoping to get results for kids and families still feeling the mental and physical impacts of Hurricane Ian.

Seminole County Emergency Management is activating their extreme weather plan this weekend as temperatures begin to drop.

This winter season may be different from winters in the past.

It's been a week since dozens of animals were brought to the Seminole County shelter following an animal cruelty case out of Altamonte Springs.

The money’s going toward three previously awarded projects and to 71 new ones, with four located in Central Florida.

Getting ready for hurricane season means more than just making plans for your own home. It also includes first responders practicing what they need to do.

As the start of hurricane season gets closer, so many people in Central Florida are still dealing with damage from last year’s storms.

With Hurricane season less than two weeks away, Seminole County is taking action to help some families still dealing with the aftermath of the storms last year.

Cleaning up is only the start of what will be a long recovery effort in Seminole County following Hurricane Ian.

A blast of cold air across the country means a Christmas Eve in the 30s is possible, according to News 6 meteorologists.

Seminole County is continuing to seek legal custody of 38 dogs that were seized from a home before Thanksgiving.

Weeks after Hurricane Ian, Seminole County’s Emergency Director believes now is not the time for hurricane fatigue.

The St. John’s River just finally dropped to “minor” flood stage but it won’t take much rain to lift it back to “moderate” flood stage or worse, Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris warned Monday as Subtropical Storm Nicole tracks toward Florida.

Nearly a month after Hurricane Ian tore through Central Florida, Seminole County leaders report more than a third of debris caused by the storm has now been cleared.

Seminole County leaders have officially opened a new Disaster Recovery Center, aimed at helping people impacted by Hurricane Ian.

The water from Lake Monroe washed up over the sea wall, across parts of Seminole Boulevard, and into parking lots and parks.

FEMA opened its first Mobile Registration Intake Center in Seminole County Wednesday, as FEMA tries to reach out to people dealing with flooding from Hurricane Ian.

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said Monday afternoon that historic flooding throughout the area is expected to continue for weeks.

Seminole County leaders are warning people to expect more flooding to hit the area as high water recedes in some areas and moves into area rivers and streams.

Hurricane Ian brought “unprecedented historic flooding” to Seminole County, with continued flash flood warnings.

The Seminole County Office of Emergency Management will provide an update for the community on Monday in preparation for Hurricane Ian, the county announced.

Seminole County leaders are running a two-day, full-scale medically enhanced shelter exercise to prepare the public in the event of a severe storm or hurricane.

Hurricane season starts June 1 and emergency officials in Seminole County are already making plans.

The high demand for COVID-19 testing continues across Central Florida, including in Seminole County where Emergency Manager Alan Harris said it’s been difficult for residents to find testing.

Traffic for COVID-19 testing at Orange County’s Barnett Park backed up for miles when the site reopened on Sunday after being closed due to the New Year’s holiday.

An event giving away at-home test kits hit capacity early Wednesday.

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said they are seeing an increase in demand for at-home COVID-19 test kits and said they have 20,000 on the way and are expected to get them in the next week.

The omicron variant has been detected in the Altamonte Sewer Service Area, according to Altamonte Springs city manager Franklin W. Martz.

Seminole County leaders are helping people feel safe during the holidays by offering free COVID-19 at home test kits.

As more cases of the Omicron variant are confirmed across the country, Seminole County leaders said they are planning to host additional vaccination events to meet the demand for boosters.

Here's where you can get your kids, age 5 and up, their COVID-19 shot.

Seminole County officials will host a panel to discuss the upcoming flu season Friday at 10:30 a.m., according to a release from Seminole County.

Seminole County emergency managers said a conference call from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not provide clear guidance on how to verify an immuno-compromised patient's booster shot eligibility.

Appointments to receive a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who are immunocompromised are now available at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a major announcement Thursday when it comes to COVID-19 booster shots.

Officials with Seminole County partnered with Lynx on Wednesday to host a mobile clinic for those who may have difficulty accessing the coronavirus vaccine.

As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise in Central Florida, Seminole County Public Schools will require all employees to wear masks.

Seminole County is ramping up its vaccination efforts by offering mobile clinics at its libraries throughout the week.

There are several Central Florida locations where sandbag supplies will be available ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa.

ith a little more than two weeks away from President Biden's goal of getting 70% of adult Americans at least partially vaccinated, News 6 has learned there isn't a Central Florida county that has reached that target.

Two major Central Florida counties are closing their government-run vaccine sites for good.

As the two fixed vaccine sites in Seminole County are set to close June 19th, the Emergency Management Director said they are shifting the vaccine rollout now to doctors' offices.

For the next three weeks, you will no longer need to book an appointment if you want to get a COVID-19 vaccine at the two fixed vaccination sites run by Seminole County.

Central Florida counties could begin administering the Pfizer coronavirus vaccines to children between 12 and 15 years old as soon as next week but officials say there is still a lot of preparation to begin those efforts.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for younger children as soon as this week.

The Central Florida Zoo in partnership with Seminole County hosted a free COVID-19 vaccination event on Saturday.

Officials are stressing the importance of getting young people vaccinated as Seminole County leaders report that age group is being hospitalized at an alarming rate.

Seminole County is adding another option when it comes to getting the coronavirus vaccine.

Eight hundred appointments quickly filled up for a vaccination event at Winter Springs High School on Saturday, the first event targeted to younger age groups according to Seminole County officials.

After Orange County’s government lost access to vaccination data broken down by zip code this week, News 6 is learning other counties also don’t have access, including Seminole County.

Leaders in Seminole County are opening a first-of-its-kind treatment center designed to help coronavirus patients.

COVID-19 cases are on an upward trend in Florida.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – “No-shows” are causing complications for Seminole County’s vaccine appointment system. Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said this is happening across Central Florida, and one of the reasons is due to vaccine expansion. [TRENDING: Gaetz investigated over relationship | Disney paying workers who get vaccine | Dozens get COVID after vaccine shots]AdVaccine shopping is putting a strain on the county’s appointment system which has seen an uptick in “no-shows” despite the demand for the vaccine. Harris said if people book their appointment they should show up or cancel their appointment if they no longer need it. The Thursday release will also allow for late vaccine shipments to be tallied and accounted for before the appointment release.

Students 16 and older will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine at school starting next week, according to a news release from the school district.

News 6 wanted to know if other Central Florida counties were considering doing the same thing. Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said demand for a vaccine is still high, especially since the governor lowered the eligibility age to 50 on Monday. But other Central Florida counties said they aren’t doing that. We want to follow the executive order of the state of Florida,” Harris said. News 6 reached out to the remaining Central Florida Counties.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Seminole County mask mandate conversation is not one that’s going away, according to the county’s emergency manager Alan Harris, who said it’s a discussion that they will continue to have each week. At Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting, board members heard from doctors and medical professionals who provided information and their recommendations when it comes to the mask mandate. She added that she was asking to set some criteria so that they know what it is they’re looking at, when it comes to speaking to the community about what the future for Seminole County and the mask mandate might look like. The chief nursing officer from Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital said the masks are the best tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Harris said the mask mandate has been in effect since June 29, 2020 and remains in place today.

Ron DeSantis hinted at plans to lower the vaccine eligibility age soon but didn’t share specifics during a news conference in Panama City on Thursday. Some Central Florida counties said they are seeing indicators that it may be time to expand eligibility across the state. Ad“We still have a few appointments at the end of next week but those are going pretty quickly,” Harris said. He adds they are seeing cancellations, which causes them to have leftover doses at the end of the day. To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health now has data showing the number of seniors who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. The numbers vary from county to county, some Central Florida counties are vaccinating anywhere between 52 and 70 percent of seniors, according to the Florida Department of Health. For example, the FDOH data reveals Orange County has vaccinated 61 percent of seniors and Lake County has vaccinated 70 percent of seniors. Seminole County is at 59 percent of seniors 65 years of age and older. The FDOH reports 29 percent of the population in Marion County is 65 years of age and older.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – More Floridians are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Seminole County Emergency Management director Alan Harris joined anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly on ClickOrlando.com” to talk about how the county is preparing for more vaccinations. Harris also explains how the county is working to overcome vaccine hesitancy, and what his team is doing to meet the Biden administration’s latest vaccine goal. President Biden announced this week that the U.S. will have enough vaccine for all adults by the end of May. AdFor information on how to get a vaccine in your area, check out the county-by-county breakdown on ClickOrlando.com/vaccine.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The state will soon be seeing an increase in supply from both Moderna and Pfizer beginning next week. “When you spread it out among other counties in the state of Florida, it doesn’t average to a lot unfortunately per county,” Harris said. Harris said as the county is now out of vaccines for this week, the site will be closed on Thursday. We are even closed tomorrow because there’s just not enough vaccines,” Harris said. Harris said the county should be receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccines by the end of this week.

SANFORD, Fla. – Seminole County held a mobile vaccination site at the Masjid Al Hayy Mosque in Sanford on Saturday in an effort to reach additional communities across the county. Before stepping inside the mosque, visitors took off their shoes or wore booties as they waited to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. [RELATED: Seminole hosts mobile vaccine sites at mosque, Hindu temple]Seminole County holds mobile vaccination site at Sanford mosqueThe mosque in Sanford partnered with the health department and county government to get results. They offered almost 400 shots at the mobile vaccination site. She adds as more people get the vaccine, they’re seeing a decline in the number of hospitalizations and cases.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Footage released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shows two women accused of posing as grannies to get a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. News 6 reached out to all the health officials in Central Florida for reaction to the incident. Alan Harris, with the Seminole County Emergency Management, said it is an unanticipated problem. County health officials told News 6 identification clearance is required before anyone gets a vaccine, but Harris said errors can still happen. Orange County health officials believe the women have already received their first dose and said they are working to determine where, how, and who administered the vaccine.

ORLANDO, Fla. – This week, Seminole County vaccine slots took more than 24 hours to fill up, county leaders said. Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said the county opens its vaccine appointments on Tuesdays. Ad[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Central Florida vaccinations delayed, state reports 7,000 new COVID-19 cases]Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on Feb. 18. CasesThe Florida Department of Health reported 5,073 new cases on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total to 1,849,744 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1. VaccinationsThe Florida Department of Health recently began releasing a daily report on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

OVIEDO, Fla. – Seminole County marked a milestone this week as county leaders said, for the first time ever, it took a day to fill COVID-19 vaccination appointments. County officials said they’re taking this as a good sign as they start planning on who gets the shots next. Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said the county opens its vaccine appointments on Tuesdays. “That tells me here in Seminole County people are either making appointments, they already have secured an appointment,or they may just not want an appointment any more,” Harris said. That is a critical piece of information as we plan,” Harris said.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Nearly half of the entire senior population in Seminole County has been vaccinated, according to Emergency Manager Alan Harris. Lake County is not far behind, with 43% of its seniors vaccinated, followed by Flagler and Orange counties, with 40% vaccinated. Harris hopes it doesn’t impact the allotment coming into Seminole County. However, demand seems to be decreasing in Seminole County, where, just a few weeks ago, new appointments available at 10 a.m. would be quickly booked. Here are the percentages of the senior populations vaccinated in each Central Florida county:SEMINOLE COUNTY -- 47%LAKE COUNTY -- 43%FLAGLER COUNTY -- 40%ORANGE COUNTY -- 40%BREVARD COUNTY -- 38%VOLUSIA COUNTY -- 38%OSCEOLA COUNTY -- 37%SUMTER COUNTY -- 34%MARION COUNTY -- 31%POLK COUNTY -- 29%To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.

Seminole County Emergency Officials and the Florida Department of Health have so far hosted 18 mobile vaccine sites, with many being held in partnership with faith-based communities. He explained the demand for vaccine still remains high in the county despite the increase of shipments across the state. Pastors from Divine Truth Church and Rockhill Missionary Baptist Church explained the importance of opening their doors for seniors in need of the vaccine. Last month, Divine Truth Church held a one-day vaccination event for hundreds of residents in Casselberry. Seminole County emergency officials said they are looking into other churches and temples in the county that will possibly serve as a vaccination pod, though have not announced which ones yet.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Starting this week, Seminole County will begin receiving 3,900 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine per week, which is more than double its previous allotment, according to the county’s emergency manager Alan Harris. “It was a fight Seminole County had with the state, and when the fight was over, it was determined that they had calculated us wrong,” Harris said. 7]AdPreviously, Seminole County was receiving 1,900 vaccine doses per week, according to Harris. But then they finally told us that they were looking at individuals that are 65 and older by population and they had transposed a number in Seminole County,” Harris explained. News 6 has contacted the governor’s office for a response on the miscalculated allotment of vaccine doses for Seminole County.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said security for the coronavirus vaccine is something they had planned for since day one. Harris said the county officials had considered how the vaccine would be stored and delivered, down to the route drivers would take. AdHarris told News 6 the county has ultra-cold freezers in a number of different locations, where the vaccine is kept. He also said they’ve even selected specific routes the transporter will take when delivering the vaccine to a distribution location. “We know where all the doses are at any given time.”As for who is responsible for securing the vaccine, Harris said it falls on the organization that obtains it.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – After President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday his administration plans to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine supply and notice given to states about upcoming shipments, a Central Florida county is saying more vaccines are needed. Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said one of their biggest challenges is determining how many vaccines the county will receive and when. He added that shipments over the past three weeks have been decreasing nearly 50 percent. On Tuesday, Biden said the federal government will increase its weekly COVID-19 vaccine shipments from 8.6 million doses to at least 10 million doses. Along with using the Defense Production Act and acquiring the purchase of another 200 million vaccine doses, Biden said vaccines should become more readily available.

Both sisters were more than happy to finally be getting the second shot of the coronavirus vaccine after getting the first shot last month. It was just amazing how fast Seminole County got this together and how organized they were and we are very impressed,” DeBroske saidSeminole was the first county in the state to give the vaccine to the public last month. On Monday, officials said about 200 seniors were scheduled to get the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Really a lot of hope here today as we help to really save lives,” Seminole County Emergency Management Director Alan Harris said. Harris said they will begin administering the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine this weekend for seniors who have appointments set up.

ORLANDO, Fla. – In both Seminole and Orange counties on Monday, some residents who already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will roll up their sleeves once again to receive the second dose. He said those who received the Pfizer vaccine and are due for the second shot will get theirs starting Saturday. In other vaccine news, Merck is giving up on two potential COVID-19 vaccines following poor results in early-stage studies. [READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: 9,400 new COVID-19 cases reported as Central Florida ramps up vaccination plans]Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on Jan. 25. CasesThe Florida Department of Health reported 8,607 new cases on Monday bringing the state’s overall total to 1,658,169 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County is marking a major milestone this week as it begins administering second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public on Monday. Seminole County became the first county in the state to offer the vaccine publicly on Dec. 28, 2020. He said this week they’re expecting to get 1,900 doses, which is half of what they got last week. We’ll continue the second doses, but the first doses we’re not going to be able to do because we continually get cut by the state on vaccine allotment,” Harris said. It’s almost impossible to plan for the future when you have so little vaccine coming to the county,” he said.

Seminole County is marking a major milestone this week as it begins administering second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public beginning Monday. [CORONAVIRUS: Apollo astronauts urge Americans to get COVID-19 vaccine | How does Florida’s vaccine rollout compare to the rest of the country?] “We’re getting a couple thousand for an entire week,” Harris said. [READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida’s positivity rate drops as state rolls out new COVID-19 vaccine system]Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on Jan. 24. CasesThe Florida Department of Health reported 9,432 new cases on Sunday bringing the state’s overall total to 1,649,449 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Anyone hoping to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in the Sunshine State moving forward must reside in Florida at least part time, according to health officials. The new requirement was discussed Tuesday morning during a call with emergency management officials from the state, according to Seminole County Emergency Management Director Alan Harris. You have to present a driver’s license, a power bill or something that says you’re a resident here in the state of Florida. Floridians are asked to be patient as county health departments roll out vaccination plans for millions of residents who meet the age qualifications. So far, 1,031,795 people have been vaccinated in Florida, according to the latest data from the Florida Department of Health, with more than 36,000 shots administered to those from out of state.

News 6 learned that people are not required to get the second dose of the vaccine at the same location where they got their first shot. Thereby 28 days Moderna, 28 days from there is the second dose for the public site,” Harris said. A Flagler County health department spokesperson told News 6 they are not required to come back for the second shot. Wherever you get your second shot, health officials said it’s important to check your vaccination card and make sure you get the same vaccine. The CDC said it is OK to get the booster later, but you want to make sure you get the second shot to complete the inoculation.