SPS-26-0004

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1. 1Oct 21, 2025
   Board of County CommissionersR61Regular businessApproved

   Approved minutes

   Approved Staff’s recommendation including the direction to Staff to take a look at the Steps to Recovery request on the capital contingency part of it.

   Open this item →▶ Play from 1:37:15
   ▶ 1:37:1524m

   StarkeyChair

   1:37:15Okay, so we are now up to the R I think it is gonna be R wait R 52 No R sixty right

   Mike Carballa

   1:37:23R61 actually I'd like to make it

   StarkeyChair

   1:37:26You want to go to 61? Okay 61

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:37:35Good morning, Commissioners. Paulo Baracaldo, Director of Support Services and also Chair of the OPOE Task Force. I am here this morning to present to you our year three project recommendations. And we'll get started. So on our first slide, we have here um our list of task force members. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize all of their hard work in reviewing all of those applications to allow us to make recommendations before you today. Earlier today on your consent agenda, you

   1:38:06also confirmed Christine Garrison. She's a social services administrator from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office who will be taking the place of Captain Tony Roach, who is retiring from the force. I would like to also extend a thank you to Captain Roach for all of her contributions within the task force and outside of it to advance behavioral health in our community. The remaining seats with a single asterisk are those that will be reappointed on January of 2026. And so those will be coming uh before you on a future

   1:38:36agenda. So now just a very high-level quick recap: that thanks to your support, over $14 million have gone to different community projects, over 20 of them, that have focused on five primary areas, primarily on the treatment, recovery, and prevention and education areas. That are the primary focus for our task force. As a reminder, these have also, these efforts

   1:39:06have also been recognized at the national and state level through the Mental Health Urgent Care Center in partnership with Baycare earlier this year. And so that takes us to a quick overview of the funding available for year three. So this year the county was awarded over $1.2 million from the city county fund and over $4.5 million from the regional fund. In addition to that, the OPI Task Force made the recommendation to roll

   1:39:36over 100,000 that were non-allocated from a project in year two for a grant total of over $5.7 million to allocate between community and internal projects. You may also recall that about a year ago the board also authorized for $750,000 to be carved out from the city-county fund in order to fund county projects that were identified through the budget process. And so with over $9 million

   1:40:07in community asks, the OTF only recommended 11 out of those 17 original projects that were submitted.

   1:40:17And so that brings us to a quick recap of those projects. I just want to remind you that those bold sections under each of those projects are the sections that they meet under the guidelines of the community abatement plan, and it's a requirement of the program. So, very quickly, here we have ACE Opportunities. They are a transitional housing and rapid rehousing program. Their target population are adults. Then we have Alliance for Healthy Communities. This is to continue to expand opioid

   1:40:48prevention services in our community and deliver opioid-specific prevention to adults through their ASAP program and STAND through their youth-led program. in addition to provide family-based prevention strategies. The third project on the list is Baycare Behavioral Health. This is really phase two of the Urgent Behavioral Healthcare Center that will be expanding to the east side, primarily serving the city of Dade City and surrounding areas. Oops. I'm going back one slide. Next

   1:41:19we have Florida Recovery Schools, Victory High School, which is the only recovery high school in the state of Florida. This will be funding primarily salaries and direct services for about 25 students. Next, we have One Community Now, and this is really to provide transitional housing support, family reunification, and other wraparound services to veterans and non-veterans alike, and they're also hoping to expand to the east side of the community. Then we have Pasco County Corrections. This is one of our internal projects

   1:41:49that will be continuing. This is year two from their county allocation to provide incarcerated inmates with medically assistant treatment and other opportunities to receive supportive services as related to opioid use disorder.

   1:42:07And that brings us to our joint program within Fire Rescue and our human services team. This is an expansion of the Mobile Integrated Health program with additional case management support from our human services partners. And then we go on to Premier Community. This is really to provide staffing cost to the behavioral health services location that you authorized on year two. And their target

   1:42:37population are all ages. Then we go on to the Hope Shot. This is to continue to provide housing support, peer coaching, community-based recovery services at the Always Center in New Port Richey. Next on the list is Van Gogh's palette, and this is really to provide rehabilitation services for individuals suffering from opioid use disorder and substance use disorder through a structured work order program with placements of about six to nine months for entry-level jobs in our

   1:43:07community. And last but certainly not least, we have Warrior Wellness, which will serve veterans, first responders, their spouses or significant others with mental health issues, and primary and secondary traumas as related to opioid and substance use disorder. And so that brings us to the official recommended list from the OPOI task force. So from left to right, you'll see the applicant organization, the proposed project

   1:43:37name, the full amount requested by each applicant. And then on the next two columns, their partial allocation, if applicable, between both the city-county fund and the regional fund. But I'd like for you to focus on the last column, which is the total recommended allocations for this year. So I'm gonna go top to bottom, naming the applicant organization and the full amount they were awarded. Or recommended for a word, I should say. Baycare Behavioral Health, their full allocation, $697,896.

   1:44:12Premier Community Healthcare Group, $336,335.50.

   1:44:22Alliance for Healthy Communities, $358,075.50. Pasco County Corrections, $1,120. Vango's Pallet, $60,000. Ace Opportunities, $53,000. One community now, $97,501.89. The partnership project between Fire Rescue and Human Services, $1,102,032, Warrior Wellness,

   1:44:52$150,000, and LAST Florida Recovery Schools for $100,000.

   1:45:01So after having briefed all board members and leadership and addressing questions and concerns about these projects before you are the consensus recommendations of these allocations for each of these projects for year three. Those are on the blue column that you'll see there to the right. And so I'd like to call out only the specific projects that were revised in their allocation recommendation for your consideration today. So we're gonna start with a third project down, that would be the Hope Shot, and we're uh proposing a reduction of the allocation from

   1:45:31$961,000 and change to $300,000. The second project, Vincent House, an increase of the allocation from $60,000 to $100,000. Next, one community now, an increase of their allocation from $97,000 and change to $150,000. Next, warrior wellness, an increase of their location from $150,000 to $200,000. Next, Florida Recovery Schools,

   1:46:02an increase of their allocation from $100,000 to $150,000. So these recommended changes effectively amend the proposed allocation for all projects from the opioid task force from $1,036,676.21 to $4,567,307 with 32 cents. And if it pleases the board, by adopting these changes, you

   1:46:32will reinstate the capital contingency in the amount of $469,000,368.89. As you may recall, during year two, the capital contingency was allocated to one of our projects. And so those projects from year one that necessitated that additional capital contingency were left without any. For the record, there's also a letter that was distributed to you this morning in your packet. This is a request from steps to recovery. They

   1:47:03had made a request to the opioid task force in excess of $437,000. This is again a project from year one. Their original allocation was $3 million, and at the time that the request had been made to the opioid task force, which was out of cycle, there were about $2 million in the bank. At this time, they're about 50% into their allocation, so they're about $1.5 million into those $3 million. And so the way that we had left it with the OPOI task

   1:47:33force was that we would reconvene with them at the November 3rd meeting, and at that time, that will check again their execution rate, and based on that, make a recommendation on additional potential funding that they might need. Also, for the record, the changes to their allocation were triggered due to Davis Bacon requirements because they are a federalized project since they received community development block grant dollars for infrastructure needs for this project.

   1:48:01And so

   StarkeyChair

   1:48:02any questions so far? I I just want y'all to understand since we went through this with AMP skills and I've never been through this with this federal money and and the C D B G. They have to spend it to get it. Not everybody ha I mean it's it's really tough. It's a federal requirement. It's not anything we can do, but certainly um I don't know if people realize that. We didn't realize that when we got our C D B G grant, so

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:48:29So as part of this program, we do announce that before applicants uh submit their applications that this is a reimbursement-based project. Yeah, and the and rent opportunity I should say. Uh

   StarkeyChair

   1:48:39but do they don't is that the same for the opioid money? Yes, ma'am. They have to spend it to get it. So it's a reimbursement based grant, yes ma'am. So where's steps for recovery getting a million dollars to

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:48:51So So they did have some funding available um through the VA, I believe they were also awarded $1.5 million, and then they had a little over half a million dollars that had been uh granted through them by C D BG. So as there's they can use federal money to offset the other federal Yes ma'am. We don't have the requirement we don't have the same requirements that C D P G has.

   StarkeyChair

   1:49:15Okay, well that's good. 'Cause that's really hard for some of these some of these people to I have to figure out where to get the money. Then you've got to pay your bill and then you get reimbursed. Okay. I want to make sure y'all know that. Yeah. All right. Yeah.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:49:29So w with this f four thirty-seven and

   1:49:34difficulties of going through the federal process. Um there was no contingency money put in their budget. That's why th there's the shortfall as well that can't take the contingency part. Is there anything keeping us from adding this in today? Oh you just want to wait till November to give them the money 'cause they're coming up on March to have this done. I'd like to do that. Right.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:49:54So so

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:49:54I think that gives peace of mind if possible.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:49:57Yeah, pardon

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:49:57me,

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:49:57Commissioner. So I think that gives us the flexibility to see where they are in their expenditure rates. And as they come in with those expenditures closer to the end of that one point five million dollars that they still have in the bank, uh, then we can start uh making those uh recommendations to authorize additional funding needed.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:50:15So does this is there any way we can approve it subject to those things being said? Yeah. Okay.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:50:22Yeah, this would be a specific for that capital contingency expense.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:50:27Okay.

   StarkeyChair

   1:50:28Okay, we cut her off. So what what else do you have?

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:50:31So uh last but not least, and and to finalize, I'd like to revisit our internal projects. Uh so on the top chart, uh you have all of the county funded asks for year three. In gray are those projects that participated in the competitive community application process. And in blue are those projects that will be funded through the board-approved $750,000 allocation for a total of almost $3 million of services to our community

   1:51:02and first responders through the opioid fund. The bottom chart release a breakdown of the split allocation between county projects and community projects that breaks to about 50-50 for the full allocation that we received for year three, in addition to those 100,000 that were rolled over to program funding.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:51:23We can make a comment to that too. Yeah. You know, when we had the settlement that was going through, um settlement is designed to reimburse you for the expenses you've had. to make you whole. all the rules and regulations was scary to me as far as everything going through. But seeing that there was so many good projects that were out there, seeing that we could actually use this to help help offset and cut our citizens' taxes down by you doing it, um, I've been very comfortable with it from that. So much as it may be fifty fifty, it is a settlement agreement that was signed signed into. So there's perfectly

   1:51:53good to do it this way to save the taxpayer the money.

   StarkeyChair

   1:51:56But this money is not forever. That's correct. And then we're gonna have to take over the funding of it. That's just gonna

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:52:06have about fifteen years left of this funding. And it'll be decreasing over time. Right. So

   Yeager

   1:52:12I just I have a comment that Just to all our non profits, this is not easy. like this whole process because there's so many great nonprofits in our community. And when you read through every one of them, you're like, how can you not give money to them? How can you not give m you know, it's it's really difficult. So um we try our best to to share the share the money and Um I I just I feel like I could

   1:52:42speak for all of us. But it is hard. Oh yeah. It's very hard. So

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:52:49All right. Well bearing any other additional comments or questions.

   StarkeyChair

   1:52:53Can you go can you go back for a second to that last that last paragraph of the book? So Five million to three-year project allocation. Your three fifty percent is going to the county projects. And Is that is that a percentage that we're gonna keep all the way through or is that gonna start wiggling?

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:53:12So this is the second year of that seven hundred and fifty thousand dollar allocation for county projects. We have the last full year would be next year, and I know that we're gonna be meeting with leadership to bring back to you a strategy on that end.

   StarkeyChair

   1:53:26Okay. And Commissioner Weightman.

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:53:29Yes. Yeah, so going through this, was this our third round?

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:53:33This

   StarkeyChair

   1:53:33is our

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:53:33third year,

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:53:33yes sir. I thought Paula was one of the county attorneys for a long time.

   1:53:39We are go going through this and I just recently learned that Paula's not one of the attorneys. Um but just goes to show you she knows all the legal leaks behind behind this this this project. So uh some of these projects we're funding brick and brick and mortar. Um we've heard what's our legislative asked, ten or twelve million to help the judges, to help courtroom security? Could we use a portion of this of these funding of this funds to help with the with the

   1:54:09facilities for the for the courts? I mean they're dealing with people who have challenges from these substances and uh they go before them and the judges are obviously gonna levy what they levy and lead 'em down a a path to try to get help. Could this help with a with a funding match for the legislature or could we use a portion of these of these funds to go towards that project. And I say this because We do not have to spend the money. the full amount when we kid 'em every year. We're allowed to

   1:54:39hold money back to see if something better comes down the pipeline, like the homeless initiative that we have going on. We can save money of each cycle or percentage to invest in a future project or something else. So it's like there's no mandate to have to spend these funds. And quite frankly, The only the only group I'm I'm have total comfort with in spending on is is the Pasco County governments. initiatives and with our own within our own internal organizations and help

   1:55:09offset, you know, the tax base and what we take from taxpayers. But thinking about it and hearing what, you know, the the four hundred and thirty seven thousand for for uh the transitional housing, why couldn't we use it with with some retrofitting of our court system to use it as a match through the legislative process and maybe we capture five or six million from the legislature instead of asking them for the full ten or twelve or whatever it is. Can we do that?

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:55:36So the challenge that we have with these funds is that they need to be directly related to opioid use and co-occurring mental health conditions. So whether that is a service that is providing, education, mitigation, it needs to be directly linked to that.

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:55:53Judges in the court system are

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:55:56So we are currently funding two positions for them.

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:56:00I'm talking brick and mortar.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:56:01That would be something that we would have to explore a little bit further, Commissioner.

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:56:06I think we should.

   Yeager

   1:56:08Are you talking about for the renovations for Dade?

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:56:19I mean if there's imp if there's improv any any of the where the judges are working in our in our county.

   Mike Carballa

   1:56:25I think the commissioner is asking is can we can we offset right now we're using the court facility fee to to offset that as our match. We'll have to look into that.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:56:37Sorry. Oh you offset would not be you would not be able to offset. You would Potentially, if an application were submitted to go through the process that we have set up. and you could demonstrate that A percentage

   Mike Carballa

   1:56:54Mm-hmm.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:56:55Hopefully closer to a hundred percent of a courtroom was

   1:57:01to remedy a opioid type Issue. the feds might look kind and the settlement may look kindly on that, but it you'd have to There's some gu guardrails that have been set up that you can't just offset your county budget with

   Mike Carballa

   1:57:20Yeah I I think yeah you know yeah and there's supplanting and there's there's other issues.

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:57:26So

   Mike Carballa

   1:57:26but

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   1:57:28I was like you know with scheduling and um unfortunately it's a it's an issue, right? And we could probably unfortunately schedule everyday. With folks who have these types of challenges in a courtroom. And that's where we would coordinate with Chief Judge and others.

   StarkeyChair

   1:57:46Okay, well that's for next

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:57:47next year. Next year's

   StarkeyChair

   1:57:48discussion.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:57:49Yeah.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:57:50Is there another fund too that the state controls directly?

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:57:53That's correct. So there's three funds that make up the full opioid settlement, the state, the city county, and the regional fund. Uh we only receive direct uh direct allocation uh through the city fund and regional fund.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:58:06Maybe we could maybe we could take a look at the st state money and try to get the capital funds for that.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:58:12What are they doing with

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:58:13big projects?

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:58:14They're they're funding several projects across the state and primarily focusing on treatment and recovery services. Um I know that Project Core, which gave the it was sort of the inception of the mental um health care program that we have with fire rescue started as part of that allocation. Um so we can definitely bring that information back to to the

   StarkeyChair

   1:58:35board. Commissioner Yeager has left, but you

   1:58:37know,

   1:58:37we were like I think it was us and Manatee were ground central for the opioid uh abuses in the state. So hopefully that money's coming to us and the Manatee County. in in proportion to How we were affected.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:58:51You done ask, you don't get.

   StarkeyChair

   1:58:53That's right. We need to look at that. Thank you for kinda raising that. And you for going to the state. I think. We need to explore that.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:59:02One more question. Pasco kids first got money last year. They didn't spend it. They were working with them. So if we need more for them later on, that can just get for them as well.

   Paula Baracaldo

   1:59:11Uh that's correct. We're allowing for um them to fully spend their year too. So we're working on that uh at this time with their team. Okay. Yeah, sorry. Okay, next page. All right, so

   1:59:26That is all I have for you today. So unless there are any questions, I would like to request your approval for the consensus recommendations brought before you and approval of this project. Take a

   Unidentified speaker

   1:59:39motion. Can you pull up the actual list of the the funding for the consensus? Yes.

   MarianoVice Chair

   1:59:50So Madam Chair. Yeah. Uh Paul, if I wanted to make the addition to Uh steps to recovery for the four thirty seven, three thirty-seven. Would you rather see that as a separate motion or

   Paula Baracaldo

   2:00:06What I would suggest um Commissioner Mariano is to allocate that towards a capital contingency and as they uh provide us with invoices as needed, then we can make the recommendation to approve those. The letter, even though it stated the 437,000, it might it might be less or it might be more. So that way you have the opportunity to recoup uh the leftover funds and roll those over into program funding or assign them to

   2:00:36something else in the future.

   MarianoVice Chair

   2:00:38Okay. So I'll make a motion for approval with the The giving staff direction to take a look at steps for recovery requests coming up on the capital contingency part of it. Second.

   StarkeyChair

   2:00:49Okay. Motion is seconded. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Commissioner Yeager, do you want to vote? Did you you vote?

   Yeager

   2:00:57Um what were we sorry

   StarkeyChair

   2:00:59we're approving the uh The project funding.

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   2:01:08No, no, no, no. We voted on

   StarkeyChair

   2:01:10the contingency. We need to w vote on

   WeightmanSecond Vice Chair

   2:01:12the project list. That was the motion that was only for the contingency. There wasn't a motion done for this afternoon. It was?