Agenda 06/10/2025 Item #11B (Presentation for the P25 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System)Proposed Agenda Changes
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
June 10, 2025
Item 11B to be heard at 1:00 PM: Recommendation to accept a presentation from consulting firm Mission
Critical Partners related to upgrade strategies for the P25 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System. (Stafi's Request)
Item 16K2 moved to 11C: This item will be on the July 8, 2025, BCC Meeting Agenda
*** This item was previously continued from the May 13, 2025, BCC Meeting. * * *
Recommendation to provide direction to advertise an Ordinance establishing the Clam Bay Advisory Committee to
provide recommendations to the Board on matters affecting the entire Clam Bay estuary system. (Commissioner
McDaniel's Request)
Add -on Item 15C1: Discussion to consider the repeal of the Collier County ban on outdoor burning and
incendiary devices. (Staff s Request)
Notes:
TIME CERTAIN ITEMS:
Item 11A to be heard at 10:30 AM: Consideration of the fourth amendment to the Land Contract and Naming
Rights Agreement with David Lawrence Mental Health Center, Inc., for Behavioral Health Center Operations and
Funding Use.
Item 11B to be heard at 1:00 PM: Mission Critical Partners presentation related to upgrade strategies for the P25
800 MHz Public Safety Radio System.
6/9/2025 4:16 P]i
6/10/2025
Item # 11.B
ID# 2025-1947
Executive Summary
Recommendation to accept a presentation from consulting firm Mission Critical Partners related to upgrade strategies for
the P25 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System.
OBJECTIVE: To initiate a dialogue on the current status of the P25 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System, leading to
an updated upgrade plan.
CONSIDERATIONS: Staff presented an update on February 13, 2024, Item 11.B, at a Board of County
Commissioners Meeting, where approval was granted to secure the services of a consultant to assist in the development
of an upgrade plan for the 800 MHz radio system. This presentation will acknowledge where deficiencies occur today,
make recommendations to address the gaps, and also accommodate for future conditions. The culmination of these
efforts will lead to a roadmap and strategy that will incorporate requirements for a public safety-grade radio system that
will serve the present and future needs of first responders and general county government users.
This item is consistent with the Collier County strategic plan to optimize the useful life of all public infrastructure and
resources through proper planning and preventative maintenance.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no immediate fiscal impact from this presentation. The resources necessary to execute this
strategy are not included in the FY 2026 budget request. The future fiscal impact of this initiative is estimated to be
between $20 and $60 million dollars for the County.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT IMPACT: No significant impact on growth management is anticipated.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: This item has been reviewed by the County Attorney's Office, raises no legal issues as
presently presented, and requires a majority vote for Board approval.-SRT
RECOMMENDATIONS: To accept a presentation from consulting firm Mission Critical Partners related to upgrade
strategies for the P25 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System.
PREPARED BY: Nathaniel Hinkle, Telecommunications Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. CollierCoFL_BOCC Presentation_02JUNE2025_Final
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You r Mission Matters
Collier County Public Safety
800MHz Radio Study
Board of County Commissioners Presentation
June 10, 2025
Page 420 of 2218
•MCP performed a comprehensive assessment, which included interviews with system users, surveys
of all facilities, meetings with system vendors, evaluation of options, and development of
recommendations.
•The existing system provided by Communications International using L3Harris equipment was not
designed to public safety standards, which has resulted in poor system reliability
•The County has experienced significant challenges with the existing vendor supporting the existing
system
•Improvements are needed to system coverage and capacity to meet current and future needs
•Investments have been made in Motorola radios, a Motorola core, radio site equipment, computer
aided dispatch (CAD), and Command Central
•MCP is recommending a two-system solution:
•Motorola system for public safety use
•Existing L3Harris system for non-public safety users, with control to be transitioned to the School Board
•This approach leverages technology benefits of both vendors, provides a path to ensure support for the
existing system, allows for full leverage of the County’s existing investment, and allows for fall back
between the two systems.
Executive Summary
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•Nick Falgiatore, PE, ENP
•18 years of public safety wireless consulting experience
•Manager of Wireless Technologies
•Wireless team includes 16 full-time consultants
•Strong commitment to vendor neutrality
About MCP
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Services That Span All Aspects of Public Safety and Justice
IT/Network and
Cyber Solutions,
Data Integration
Next
Generation
911 Networks
Facility &
Operations
Wireless and
Broadband
Justice,
Management &
Technology
Data Integration IT, Networks and
Cybersecurity
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Mission Critical Partners (MCP) was retained to conduct a study of the current L3 Harris (L3H) P25
Phase II radio communications system and provide recommendations for upgrades and/or replacement
to the public safety radio infrastructure serving the Collier County and City of Naples, Florida public safety
agencies.
MCP conducted on-site assessments of radio sites, agency interviews, and propagation analysis to
develop an understanding of how the current system managed and serviced by Communications
International (CI) is serving agency needs, and to identify any deficiencies with current and auxiliary
systems:
•County Sheriff Office, Naples and Marco Island Police Departments
•City of Naples, Greater Naples, Immokalee, Marco Island and North Collier Fire Departments
•Fire Marshalls
•Emergency Medical Services
•Emergency Management Agency
•Public works agencies, including Animal Control, Water Departments, Collier Area Transit (CAT),
and Collier County Public Schools
Introduction
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•800 MHz EDACS system first installed in 1995, with CI taking
over maintenance responsibility soon after
•GPS simulcast upgrade completed in 2005/2006
•P25 Phase II upgrade started in 2015, and user migration was
completed in 2019 (current system)
•3 additional sites added: Old 41, NCH Baker, Gulf Coast High School
•Core upgrade completed in 2023 with repeater software and
network equipment upgrades still remaining
Background
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•10 Simulcast sites with 12 channels at each site
•3 channels used for high-velocity data
•16 available simultaneous talkpaths
•4 Multicast sites with varied channels at each site covering the undeveloped eastern
portion of the County
•12-Channel backup site at ESC that can be activated in the event of a complete
failure to the simulcast system
•Aircraft site located at ESC
•24 Dispatch console positions
•Geo-redundant network switching centers (following 2023 upgrade)
•Geo-redundant control point (voter) sites
•11,544 total user radios
Existing System Configuration
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Page 427 of 2218
Backhaul Map
*Loop road site connected via
cellular modem
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•Most public safety agencies are replacing their L3Harris portable
radios with the Motorola APX NEXT platform
•Key feature of these radios allows roaming between radio system and
commercial broadband when radio coverage is inadequate
•Over 60,000 monthly calls reported over commercial broadband
•CCSO has purchased a Motorola core to host the SmartConnect
service and support a countywide Motorola radio system
•Connectivity between the Motorola and L3Harris cores via ISSI to
pass SmartConnect audio back to the L3Harris system
•CCSO has purchased a 5-channel 700 MHz Motorola radio site,
which is operational at the WAVV location
Motorola Integration
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Findings
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•Poor system reliability, with many single points of failure and
recurring system impacting events
•Coverage gaps, particularly in areas of the county with recent
development
•System busy-hour usage maxing out system capacity, with recent
swatting incident overloading the system
•Unreliable backup power systems and improvements required to
site grounding
Key Study Findings
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•Long list of challenges with the existing system maintenance provider identified to
MCP (current list 35 pages long):
•Prolonged outages during Ian and Irma resulting from power failures without automatic
system backup plan in place
•Lack of direction regarding system improvements, sustainment, and upgrade planning
•Upgrade planning with processes that require system-wide outages
•Delays in problem identification and diagnoses that have led to damaged equipment
and significant outages
•Missed notifications from the L3Harris network operations center (NOC)
•Inaccurate as-built documentation
•Delays in after action reports and quotes
•Direct support from L3Harris has not been available due to contract direct with
Communications International
System Support Challenges
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•August 2022: System experienced a complete outage due to failures that occurred at the County
Barn site. A root cause was never determined because log files were lost.
•September 2022: During Hurricane Ian, the system experienced a complete prolonged outage due
to generator power failures at control point. The lack of an established bypass plan resulted in a
prolonged failure until the backup system at ESC could be enabled.
•December 2022: 1,500 BeOn licenses never installed that had previously been paid for years prior.
•July 2024: Corkscrew site down for over 30 minutes before dispatch was initiated by the L3Harris
NOC.
•May 2023: TTAs found to be configured with no attenuation, which is a best practice to limit noise
amplification.
•Ongoing with CCSO: Scan firmware issue where the radio missed messages when in the priority
scan mode. CI/L3Harris will not support the labor for reprogramming radios to correct the faulty
firmware.
Critical System Support Events
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•August 2024: Multicouplers at Immokalee and Chalet were installed with frequency bands that don’t
cover Collier County’s 800 MHz frequencies. The problem was only identified after insistence by
Collier County.
•August 2024: Multi-site outage resulting from an overtempt due to an AC failure, causing the
microwave to shut down and disconnect the other sites. While the NOC notified CI, notification was
never provided to
the users to be aware of the reduced coverage.
•October 2024: Unprepared technician assigned for support during Hurricane Milton
•October 2024: Significant impact that disabled some simulcast sites, isolated multicast sites, and
disabled consoles resulting from inadvertent cable pull. The problem took several hours to diagnose
and resolve.
•November 2024: Microwave issue caused sites to go off-air
•March 2025: A “system bug” resulted in a system outage that lasted approximately 25 minutes
•April 2025: Site outages resulted from failed router cutover attempt that lasted approximately 2 hours
Critical System Support Events, Continued
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•Improve coverage, particularly in areas with new development northeast of
I-75
•Improve system reliability through improvements to the backhaul network and
system design
•Improve site reliability through improvements to site grounding, backup power
systems, and alarming
•Increase system capacity to support future growth, surge usage, increased
interoperability, and increased data
•Provide integration with PremierOne CAD, Command Central Aware, and APX
NEXT radios
•Address audio integration challenges between L3Harris and Motorola cores
•Provide more effective backup capabilities
Summary of System Requirements
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Analysis
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•Option 1 — Upgrade system with L3Harris equipment
•Option 2 — Install new Motorola system
System Vendor Options
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•Existing system in place
•Recent or already budgeted upgrades to VIDA cores and site routers
•MASTR V repeaters have been in use for 6 years and have about 9 years of useful life
remaining
•Long list of performance issues identified, with inability to get support directly from L3Harris
•The County is actively working on a competitive procurement to secure maintenance services with the
upcoming expiration of the CI contract
•There is only one other L3Harris-certified maintenance provider in the State of Florida
(Williams Communications) and they do not have a local presence
•New production TWO47 repeaters are not compatible in the same simulcast cell as
MASTR V stations, meaning the County would need to purchase older MASTR V
technology which will reach a sooner end-of life (estimated in about 10 years)
Option 1 — L3Harris Considerations
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•Motorola core in place that can be expanded to support Countywide radio
system
•Public safety agencies transitioning to Motorola radios
•Motorola is the only vendor capable of delivering the integration the County
is requesting with PremierOne CAD, Command Central, and APX NEXT-
series radios
•The largest user agency, CCSO, has invested in Motorola radio infrastructure
to meet agency needs
•Motorola operates a service shop in Lee County and has committed to
opening one in Collier County
•Public safety agencies have issued letters of support for switching to a
Motorola system
Option 2 — Motorola Considerations
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You r Mission Matters
Application Integration Comparison
L3Harris Motorola
PremierOne CAD CAD options and functionality similar to the
console. This would require adoption of the
L3Harris API by Motorola and development
of the GUI in CAD to support these
interfaces. It is unlikely Motorola will invest in
a full-featured interface to leverage this API,
meaning the County will not likely be able to
benefit from a full-featured CAD integration.
Push-to-talk
Legacy Status Messaging
Responder Alert
Responder Location Tracking
Alias Synchronization
Dynamic Regrouping
Paging
Enhanced Manual Multiselect
Dynamic Multiselect
Group Text Messaging
Advanced Messaging Solutions (AMS)
CommandCentral Radio location data Radio Location data
Console Dispatch Integration
Radio location with status alerts
Location Replay
Message delivery
APX NEXT Radios Standard P25 feature set Smart Incident
Smart Connect
CommandCentral Messaging
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Recommendations
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•A Motorola solution offers application integration capabilities that will
leverage the County’s other dispatching applications and cannot be
achieved with another vendor
•Functionality explicitly expressed as a need with Motorola applications
(PremierOne CAD, Command Central, APX NEXT radios)
•The Sheriff’s Office has invested in the building blocks of a Motorola system
to meet immediate needs
•Near-unanimous support from public safety agencies
•The data presented is indicative of the system not being maintained to a
public safety standard by the current provider, and the alternative provider
does not have an established presence in the area
Vendor Choice
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•All existing system hardware will be up to date and supported for
6 to 8 years once the site router upgrades are completed
•Non-public safety agencies including Local Government and the
Collier County School Board did not voice concerns regarding the
existing system
•The School Board will need to maintain the L3Harris VIDA cores
to support the School Board’s system regardless
•MCP recommends continuing to maintain the existing system to
operate in parallel with the new system
Existing System
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•Allows ongoing beneficial use of existing equipment
•Ability for the systems to back each other up in the event of a system-wide failure
•Ability to attract additional investment from L3Harris service providers with long-term
maintenance opportunity
•Using a separate radio system for non-public safety agencies is a common practice (i.e.
Broward County)
•The existing L3Harris system is already in place with users having already purchased
compliant user radios
•Opportunity for reducing support and maintenance costs of the existing system
•Capacity surges from non-public safety users will not impact public safety operation
•For example, when all school bus radios are turned on at the same time each morning and afternoon
•Opportunity to transition long-term responsibility to the School Board
Recommendation: Two-System Solution
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•Ongoing maintenance costs for existing system
•Complexity for County staff to manage two systems
•Shelter space to accommodate parallel system deployments
•Required regardless to support system cutover
•Tower space and loading to accommodate additional antennas
•Required regardless to support system cutover
•Frequency availability to support both systems
•Subject to FCC licensing effort
Key Challenges of Two-System Solution
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Budget
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•20-site system (6 additional sites) supporting a target of 20-dB of in-building coverage in
developed areas (will reduce need for BDAs)
•Construction of 5 new radio towers and development of a rooftop site at NCH-North
•Two simulcast cells, with 16 sites with 18 channels in the west cell serving the developed areas,
and 4 sites with 6 channels in the east cell serving undeveloped areas
•24 new dispatch consoles
•Redundant system controllers and voting sites
•ISSI connectivity between the L3Harris and Motorola systems
•Upgrade of radio site facilities to meet current installation and grounding standards
•DC power system for new equipment supporting 8 hours of system runtime
•Upgrade of microwave system to support loop protection with fiber backup at select locations
•L3Harris system maintained in existing configuration
Pricing Assumptions — Two System Solution with New
Motorola System and Maintaining Existing L3Harris System
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Budgetary Estimate — Motorola (Updated May 2025)
Category Original Cost
Updated Cost Accounting
for Inflation and Tariffs
(15%)
Radio Equipment $23,447,220 $26,964,303.00
LMR Services $14,396,593 $16,556,081.95
Microwave Equipment $2,667,319 $3,067,416.85
Microwave Services $1,637,734 $1,883,394.10
Civil Work (equipment)$6,063,659 $6,973,207.85
Civil Work (services)$3,116,721 $3,584,229.15
System Total (Budgetary)$51,329,246 $59,028,632.90
With 10% Incentive Discount $46,196,324 $53,125,772.60
With 20% Incentive Discount $41,063,397 $47,222,906.55
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•Ongoing system sustainment costs for maintenance and subscription
services are estimated at 10% of the infrastructure purchase cost
•$4,427,146 annually with up to 3% annual escalation
•System warranty included for maintenance services for one year
following acceptance
•$1,185,386 ongoing maintenance for existing system
•Subject to re-bid
Ongoing Costs — Motorola (Updated May 2025)
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•Upgrade of existing system to 20-site system (6 additional sites) supporting a target of 20-dB of in-
building coverage in developed areas (will reduce need for BDAs)
•Construction of 5 new radio towers and development of a rooftop site at NCH-North
•Upgrade to two simulcast cells, with 16 sites with 18 channels in the west cell serving the developed
areas, and 4 sites with 6 channels in the east cell serving undeveloped areas
•Reuse of existing dispatch consoles
•Reuse of existing redundant system controllers and voting sites
•ISSI connectivity between the L3Harris and Motorola systems with continued leverage of Motorola
core to support SmartConnect
•Upgrade of radio site facilities to meet current installation and grounding standards
•DC power system equipment supporting 8-hours of system runtime and conversion of existing
equipment to be DC-capable
•Upgrade of microwave system to support loop protection with fiber
backup at select locations
Pricing Assumptions — Expansion of L3Harris System
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Budgetary Estimate — L3Harris (Updated May 2025)
Category Cost Updated Cost Accounting for
Inflation and Tariffs (15%)
Radio Equipment $11,798,061 $13,567,770.15
LMR Services $7,244,009 $8,330,610.35
Microwave Equipment $2,667,319 $3,067,416.85
Microwave Services $1,637,734 $1,883,394.10
Civil Work (equipment)$6,063,659 $6,973,207.85
Civil Work (services)$3,116,724 $3,584,232.60
System Total (Budgetary)$32,527,503 $37,406,628.45
With 10% Incentive Discount $29,274,753 $33,665,965.95
With 20% Incentive Discount $26,022,002 $29,925,302.30
Page 452 of 2218
•Ongoing system sustainment costs for maintenance and subscription
services are estimated at 10% of the infrastructure purchase cost
(including both existing and new equipment)
•$4,427,146 annually with up to 3% annual escalation
•System warranty included for maintenance services for one year
following acceptance for new equipment
Ongoing Costs — L3Harris (Updated May 2025)
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•System shared with local government and School Board, thus providing
greater system loading and less capacity for public safety
•No fully functional backup system
•Limited integration with CAD and Command Central that does not achieve
the County’s desired functionality
•Features that cannot be implemented with APX NEXT and N-series radios
purchased by users
•New production TWO47 repeaters are not compatible in the same
simulcast cell as MASTR V stations, meaning the County would need to
purchase older MASTR V technology which will reach a sooner end-of life
(estimated in about 10 years)
L3Harris Pricing Options Consideration
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Next Steps
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•County to provide approval for desired system direction
•MCP to develop requirements document to solicit proposal for
radio system from chosen vendor
•Vendor to develop proposal in response to requirements
•County and vendor to negotiate scope, cost, and terms
•Vendor must be able to provide solution with cost commensurate with
similarly-sized competitive procurements
Next Steps
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www.MissionCriticalPartners.com
Thank You.
Questions, comments?
www.MissionCriticalPartners.com
You r Mission Matters
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