Wednesday, a special task force voted to spend taxpayer money to keep Orlando's only trauma center open for at least another two years.

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The Orlando Regional Medical Center's trauma unit has faced a financial crisis for a year now. Wednesday, five counties offered a permanent financial fix.

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The task force voted to ask state legislators for $2.5 million a year help fund this trauma center. If that happens, each of those counties promised to pony up the same amount, for a total of $5 million a year.

ORMC says they desperately need help paying for a trauma center on life support itself. The special trauma center task force agreed, so taxpayers might pay $5 million a year to keep helicopters and ambulances rolling into ORMC's level one trauma center.

"It's important that we recognize that the first hour following a trauma is the critical time; it's called the 'golden hour' and access to a level one is important," says Tom Weinberg, Orange County.

Representatives from five nearby counties agreed to split half of the cost with the state, sharing the burden based on licensed drivers. But ORMC was forced to agree to an audit, making financial records public.

"We knew that if we needed public support, which we do, that with that comes a level of scrutiny that we were very open to," says ORMC V.P. Barbara Stuart

Earlier this year, Seminole County balked at an emergency cash infusion to keep doctors working through September. After that, the legislature will have to sign off on a long-term plan and let the five counties raise the money it will take to keep the doors open.

There are 20 trauma centers in Florida. Only a handful receives money from taxpayers. ORMC will present the final draft of the proposal Friday and lawmakers should vote on it this spring.

The five million dollar price tag would be a cap on taxpayer dollars for 2005 and 2006. State lawmakers could decide to make counties pay more than 50 percent of that $5 million. Under the proposal, ORMC would still lose about $3 million a year by keeping the trauma unit open.