Blog: City Hall Spotlight: Emergency Management is ready to act
Published on June 03, 2026
Storms Approaching
When storms approach Southwest Florida, most residents focus on preparing their homes, checking weather forecasts and staying informed. Behind the scenes, however, a dedicated team is already working - coordinating resources, monitoring conditions and preparing to respond long before the first raindrop falls.
That team is North Port’s Emergency Management Division. Its mission is simple but powerful: to protect the community through preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation; working alongside local, state and federal partners to ensure the City is ready for whatever comes its way.
From planning and training year-round to coordinating real-time disaster response, Emergency Management plays a critical role in keeping North Port safe and resilient.
What Emergency Management Does- All Year Long
Emergency preparedness isn’t just about hurricanes. The Emergency Management Division works continuously to ensure the City is ready for all types of emergencies. That includes maintaining North Port’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, coordinating continuity plans across City departments, training staff and community partners, running preparedness exercises, managing emergency alerts and working closely with Sarasota County, the State of Florida and FEMA.
The team also supports community education programs, helps coordinate disaster reimbursement after storms, identifies grant funding for resilience projects and ensures the City follows national emergency response standards.
In short, while residents go about daily life, Emergency Management is quietly preparing for the moments when preparation matters most.
Leading With Experience: Emergency Manager Stacy Aloisio
At the heart of North Port’s emergency readiness is Stacy Aloisio, whose career blends public health, emergency response and real-world disaster operations.
Stacy’s path into emergency management began with volunteer work in search and rescue in Las Vegas, where she learned firsthand how preparation, communication and teamwork can prevent life-threatening situations. From there, she went on to intern at Brevard County’s Emergency Operations Center (one of the busiest in the country) participating in activations, writing response plans and helping evaluate disaster response through after-action reports. Before joining North Port’s team, she served as Emergency Management Coordinator for Lee County, including during the devastation of Hurricane Ian.
With advanced certifications in emergency preparedness and years of hands-on experience, Stacy now leads North Port’s efforts to ensure the City is ready for everything from severe storms to large-scale emergencies.
Her focus is simple: building resilience before disaster strikes so the community can respond safely and recover faster.
Supporting the Mission: Deputy Emergency Manager Mike Nevarez
Working alongside Stacy is Mike Nevarez, who supports preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation efforts across the City.
Mike’s experience extends beyond city limits. He has deployed to multiple counties throughout Florida to support their disaster response, including Madison County during Hurricanes Idalia and Helene, and Sarasota County during Hurricane Debby. Most recently, he deployed through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to Arizona to support response and recovery efforts following devastating flooding in Gila County, all while the state of Arizona was preparing for potential impacts from tropical systems.
On that deployment, Mike worked logistics inside a state-level Emergency Operations Center, coordinating resources and helping balance immediate response with long-term recovery planning. Each deployment brings new lessons, strategies and relationships that Mike brings back to strengthen North Port’s own emergency readiness, reinforcing that emergency management is built on cooperation, continuous learning and supporting communities in their time of greatest need.
Training for the Unexpected: Emergency Management Coordinator AJ Brown
Preparedness is only as strong as the people behind it, and training is a constant priority. Emergency Management Coordinator AJ Brown, who came over to the team in 2025 from North Port Fire and Rescue, recently completed FEMA’s Train the Trainer program, earning certification to teach Incident Command System (ICS) courses to local responders.
In a fun and memorable recent workshop (even featuring Santa Claus as a training partner), AJ reinforced how ICS principles (unity of command, coordinated operations, resource tracking and clear communication) keep everything running smoothly during emergencies.
Whether it’s hurricanes or holiday chaos, these same systems ensure that emergency response across North Port is organized, efficient and focused on public safety.
North Port’s StormReady Recognition
North Port’s commitment to preparedness doesn’t just stop with its people, it has earned national recognition. The City has been designated StormReady by the National Weather Service, making it one of only 48 cities in Florida to receive this distinction.
To achieve StormReady status, North Port strengthened communication systems and emergency alerts, installed live weather and water monitoring stations, trained staff and residents through preparedness programs and partnered closely with the National Weather Service for forecasting and response
This designation reflects a City Division that goes above and beyond to protect the lives and property of our community, not just during storms, but every day.
Building the Future of Emergency Response: The New Emergency Operations Center
To further strengthen disaster readiness, North Port is currently building a brand-new North Port Emergency Operations Center, a nearly 16,000-square-foot, hardened facility designed specifically for coordinated emergency response and recovery.
Today’s EOC operates out of a conference room at City Hall, which limits space and technology during major events. The new center will transform how the City responds to disasters.
When complete, the facility will include:
- A large coordination and command room
- A dedicated call center
- GIS mapping and IT operations space
- Breakout rooms for agencies and departments
- A joint information center for public communications
- Resources to support 24/7 operations during emergencies
As Stacy shared at the groundbreaking, “We’re not just breaking ground on a building, we’re laying the foundation for resilience, collaboration and service to our community.”
While the new EOC represents a major step forward in technology and coordination, the heart of emergency response will always be the people behind it.
From planning and training to national deployments and real-time storm response, North Port’s Emergency Management team works every day to ensure the City is ready, before disaster strikes.
Their work means faster response during emergencies, better coordination across departments, clearer communication with residents and stronger recovery after storms.
Storm preparedness in North Port isn’t reactive, it’s proactive, professional and rooted in experience.
With a dedicated Emergency Management team, national recognition for readiness and a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center on the way, North Port continues investing in safety, resilience and community protection.
When storms come, this team is already at work, so residents can weather them with greater confidence.