On May 21, 2009, after years of planning and lobbying for funds, and 7 months of construction, the new Dixie County Emergency Operations Centers opened its doors. The facility, partially funded by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was designed and constructed to meet FEMA 361 shelter criteria which requires the facility to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

The building's shell was constructed using an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) wall system with an 8" cavity, filled solid with concrete and reinforcing steel. The roof system is a Siplast® system over light weight concrete / metal deck. Providing emergency power to the facility is a 165 KW backup generator, which along with the building's HVAC equipment is housed in a masonry enclosure designed to protect the equipment from missile impact related to a storm event.