USF Substance Abuse Center To Be Named After Sen. Darryl Rouson

By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

June 26, 2025

Tampa Bay area Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson was surprised to learn Wednesday that a substance abuse center located at the University of South Florida (USF) is going to be named for him, after all.

The state Senate passed a bill on mental health and substance use disorders this year that included a provision naming the center after Rouson, but the House stripped that section from the bill before passing its version of the legislation.

“It was a well-kept secret, and I was absolutely elated and surprised,” Rouson told the Phoenix after learning during a bill-signing ceremony that the center would bear his name after all.

The bill (SB 1620) was one of two measures signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis at the USF Health building in downtown Tampa. The legislation strengthens Florida’s Mental Health Act by codifying recommendations made by Florida’s Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder in January, a panel that Rouson served on.

The bill also establishes the Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Research at USF’s Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute to conduct statewide behavioral health research, promote evidence-based practices, and improve workforce development.

When his colleagues in the Senate passed the measure in April, they included an amendment sponsored by Pinellas County Republican Ed Hooper to rename the center after Rouson, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction in his past and had sponsored the measure in the Senate.

However, the House took that amendment out of the bill, with Speaker Daniel Perez later saying calling it “a means of emotionally blackmailing the House into doing what they want,” which he labelled “unconscionable.”

Rouson’s colleagues from both sides of the aisle condemned the House’s move at the time, with two Republicans calling it “a travesty.”

DeSantis said Wednesday that his office had worked with the Senate and USF officials to get Rouson’s name back on the center.

“We’re proud that Darryl has become an example of overcoming substance abuse but also has been very passionate about helping others who may be in similar predicaments,” DeSantis said. “I know that they were trying to get this into statute, and there was a little bit of a hiccup on that, but you know, it was a period of a lot of hiccups. That’s just the way it is.”

Among the changes to Florida’s Mental Health Act included in the new law are:

Rouson, who turns 70 next month, has served in the Florida Legislature since 2008. He has one more year in his state Senate seat before being term-limited in 2026.

“I’m absolutely honored,” he said about having the center named after him. “The work is hard work and it must continue, and I’m just elated that they saw fit to honor my body of legislative work and the passion that I’ve had in this process for those who suffer from addictions and mental health challenges. It’s all about creating a pathway towards peace.”

DeSantis also signed the “Tristin Murphy Act” (SB 168). The measure creates model processes for diverting defendants to mental health treatment. Senate President Ben Albritton and Northeast Republican Jennifer Bradley, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, also spoke at the press conference celebrating the signing of the legislation.

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