In 2021-2022, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced a series of historic settlements between the State of Florida and the manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers of opioids that will provide more than $3 billion to Florida over the next eighteen years.
In February of 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis announced plans for the first $205.7 million from the Opioid Settlements. In year one, these funds will serve communities throughout the State of Florida, and support prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts statewide.
Read the full press release.
Goal and Focus
To reduce opioid addiction by providing immediate access to evidence-based treatment models.
The State of Florida has and will continue to focus efforts responding to the opioid epidemic through five key strategies.
Prevention.
Prevention includes a wide range of activities aimed at reducing risks or threats to health. Primary Prevention strategies aim to shift the focus upstream by helping people to avoid drug use.
Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE).
The Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, and the Agency for Health Care Administration have partnered to implement the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Network, a substance abuse and recovery initiative to disrupt the opioid epidemic. CORE is available in 12 counties across Florida: Brevard, Citrus, Clay, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Gulf, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, and Volusia. Next steps include onboarding 17 additional counties in Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
Treatment.
Create and expand services for individuals with opioid use disorders, including residential treatment and programs for mothers and babies, medication-assisted treatment, case management, outpatient treatment, supportive housing, supportive employment, in-home/on-site, aftercare, and others.
Recovery & Peer Supports.
Expand the number of Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) and certified recovery peer specialists.
Technology/Data Exchange.
Create an integrated statewide database that tracks services and outcomes associated with individuals with opioid use disorders across correctional systems, treatment systems and hospital systems. The system will enable analytical capabilities to help with trend analysis and data-driven decision-making.
Florida Opioid Dashboard
View trends of opioid use alongside demographic and economic factors in Florida. The dashboard establishes baseline conditions of the opioid epidemic in Florida and is intended for use by policymakers to inform decision-making strategies to combat opioid use.
