In some ways, Fay was the perfect storm for Manatee.

Its tropical storm-force winds missed the county, yet its presence allowed for a full dry run of a newly opened - and, to some, controversial - $55 million Emergency Operations Center in central Manatee.

The facility, a fortress-like structure built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, has state-of-the-art communications technology and can easily feed and house scores of emergency workers for days during a disaster.

At its heart is a command center that, for much of Monday, had more than 120 emergency workers and county officials working the phones, checking in with shelters and monitoring the latest weather reports.

The EOC is the most expensive and elaborate disaster center in the Sarasota/Manatee/Charlotte region. It is also widely considered one of the finest in Florida.

During the heightened emotions of Monday night, when it appeared Fay would target Tampa Bay, County Commissioner Amy Stein told the assembled people, "Even though we're in a state of emergency, what I see is a state of readiness."

County officials say the smooth operation of the facility, even during a storm that never landed, is proof that building the center was millions of dollars well-spent.

The building, which opened during hurricane season last year, was conceived during active hurricane years in Florida and at a time when local governments were flush with cash.

But some critics point to the project, and the new $77 million Manatee Judicial Center, as evidence that county officials allowed spending to run amok during the housing boom.

"We needed the facilities, but we just didn't need this 'Star Wars'-like technology we put into them," said Greg Witham, who is running against Commissioner Joe McClash in the Aug. 26 GOP primary. "I just think it's a lot of overkill."

Charlotte County, which was hit by Hurricane Charley in 2004, opened a smaller, $11.5 million emergency operations center in 2007. Sarasota County's EOC in the county administration building is considered vulnerable to wind speeds greater than 110 mph, or Category 3 hurricane strength.

As well as emergency management staff, the Manatee EOC also houses the 911 call centers for local police and fire agencies. Within the next 18 months, it will also serve as a traffic monitoring center for Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Located in the Manasota Industrial Park near U.S. 301 and 38th Avenue East, the 109,000-square-foot Manatee facility is a big step up from the county's first emergency headquarters in the leaky basement of the old county courthouse in downtown Bradenton.

Even at its interim site, in a few rooms on the fifth floor of the Manatee County Administration Building on Manatee Avenue West, operations could have been disabled during a hurricane, officials say.

"If it came up to a high Category 2, we'd have to evacuate," said Laurie Feagans, director of the Manatee County Emergency Management Department. "So, this time around, we didn't have that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs."

By all accounts of emergency workers working shifts Monday and Tuesday, the communications equipment and storm monitoring systems seemed to work as planned.

"It was a good test run for us," said Capt. Larry Leinhauser, a spokesman for the county's Public Safety Department. "It let us work with all the emergency players and work out any potential problems with the system."