As Parkland Panel Condemns Florida Mental-Health Services, DeSantis Decides To Spend Federal COVID-Aid Funds To Improve Things

the Florida Phoenix

By Laura Cassels

December 11, 2020

Coincidentally following a damning report by a statewide grand jury that investigated the 2018 school massacre in Parkland, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that he has authorized $23 million in federal CARES funding to be spent improving mental health services.

The grand jury reported Thursday night that Florida’s mental-health system falls short of needs in money, operations, and leadership — and “urgently” needs widespread reform to head off future tragedies involving mentally ill people such as the Parkland gunman.

“To put it bluntly, our mental health care ‘system’ — if one can even call it that — is a mess,” the report says.

“While the coronavirus pandemic may have taken this issue off the front page for now, as our society returns to a state of normalcy and students begin to once again physically attend classes in larger numbers, more school shootings will undoubtedly occur.”

DeSantis empaneled the grand jury to determine what went wrong at all levels ahead of the massacre that left 17 students and staff dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018.

His press conference in Tampa Friday morning had not been scheduled in connection with the grand jury report, but the governor said he was glad of the coincidence.

Mental-health needs from isolation-induced depression to domestic violence have grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, DeSantis said.

“This should cause us to redouble our efforts,” he said.

DeSantis, accompanied by First Lady Casey DeSantis and representatives of first responders and crisis-intervention providers, framed the announcement as being about relief for COVID-traumatized first responders including law-enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, emergency social workers, and firefighters. However, the money does not appear to be limited to that group.

It has long been needed, said Chief Deputy Donna Lusczynski of the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department.

“We respond to calls for service every day that deal with mental-health issues,” Lusczynski said. “So it’s so important that those people in our community get help from the services we need. … [Also] first responders, our firefighters, our police, our deputies, they see things that are so disturbing, and it builds up over time.”

DeSantis said he will direct $18 million of the federal funds sent to Florida as coronavirus aid toward communities with the “greatest need” to help prevent outcomes such as involuntary commitment, hospitalizations, and incarceration. He said he also will direct funds to assist families in crisis because parents or teenagers are suffering from mental illness.

The governor took a dig at communities that he said “turned their back on law enforcement,” possibly alluding to police brutality that inflamed the Black Lives Matter movement this year and criticism of police handling of some demonstrations, a few of which turned violent.

DeSantis has threatened to crack down on “disorderly gatherings” despite there having been none in Florida. Civil libertarians call it a political ruse to suppress free speech and cater to voters who side with “law and order” over “Black Lives Matter.”

DeSantis also responded to reporters’ questions about these topics:

• Nearly 180,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines could be shipped to Florida 24-48 hours after receiving final federal approval, which could come today, he said. Those few will go to five pre-approved hospitals and to residents and staff of long-term care facilities. More vaccines are expected. Florida’s population was last counted at more than 21 million.
• DeSantis said he does not plan to launch a statewide campaign urging Floridians to be vaccinated, despite a high level of distrust about the new drugs. “I think you’re going to have a lot of demand [but] not as high as we hoped,” he said. He insisted he will continue to impose no mandates, either to get vaccinated or wear masks.
• Clearly agitated at a question about fired Department of Health data scientist Rebekah Jones, DeSantis said she “has issues” and blasted a reporter for describing the court-ordered search of her home and seizure of her digital devices on Tuesday as “a raid.” Jones is suspected of committing a felony intrusion into a secure state information system. She was fired in May and claims it was because she defied superiors by refusing to misrepresent COVID-19 data she managed. DeSantis said that is a false narrative making her “the darling of some corner of the fever swamps.”

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.