4
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Do assessments differ significantly by type of local government (county v. city)?
jurisdictional size? respondent position (generalist v. specialist)? and/or the degree to
which the official believes his/her government is currently ready for a terrorist attack?
•
How much are intergovernmental relations ratings affected by the major type of impact
an official judges homeland security legislation to have had in their jurisdiction
(financial, political, administrative/management, or legal)?
We also contrast the degree to which homeland security-related legislation has affected:
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Vertical federalism (relations with federal and state officials)
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Horizontal federalism (relations with neighboring local governments, including special
districts and authorities)
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Partnerships with nonprofits, volunteer agencies, and citizen response teams.
Of interest is whether type of local government, jurisdictional size, respondent position, and/or
readiness rating significantly impacts these three types of relationships.
We are also interested in the nature of emerging intergovernmental networks:
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Are there any patterns in the interactions or absence of interactions?
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Does the absence of extensive networks reduce one’s assessments of readiness?
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Are specialists more involved in networks and more positive about intergovernmental
relations as a consequence?
We believe this research is the first extensive empirical test of the post 9/11 hypotheses
regarding changes in intergovernmental relations. We have responses from 414 county and city
officials—generalists and specialists—from one of the nation’s largest, most diverse, and most
vulnerable states.
To our knowledge, this is also the first in-depth analysis of intergovernmental networks
(vertical and horizontal) from the perspective of local general purpose government officials.
WHY FLORIDA?
There is no better place to test hypotheses regarding intergovernmental conflict and cooperation
than in Florida, with its 406 municipalities, 67 counties, 67 school districts, and 1,150+ special
districts…and its vulnerabilities to a terrorist attack.
Florida’s geography, its status as a destination of choice for millions of residents and visitors,
and its reliance on tourism, travel and international trade for economic prosperity make homeland
security preparedness an especially important task for state and local governments.
The state of Florida covers 58,560 square miles embraced by 1,800 miles of coastline.
Fourteen major ports dot Florida’s coast and serve as conduits for 40% of all U.S. exports to Latin and
South America. Thousands of cargo containers pass through Florida’s ports on a daily basis. Each
presents a possible security threat.
In addition to its many ports, Florida maintains extensive rail and interstate road systems that
contribute to the complexity of securing a region that is easily accessible from sea, land, and air.
Convention