Please place on the February 22, 2023 agenda a referral to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee to discuss a potential Statewide legislative proposal to provide additional mental health evaluation, support and services for persons in need of assistance who have been repeatedly assessed and evaluated for involuntary mental health services, pursuant to Florida’s Baker Act.
Mental health issues and illnesses impact communities and families. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (“NAMI”), approximately 660,000 adults (and 181,000 children) in Florida live with serious mental illness — bipolar disorder, severe depression or schizophrenia. Moreover, nearly half of the population will struggle with less-devastating forms of mental illness at some point in their lives.
The City’s Police Department and Housing and Community Services Department attempt to provide assistance, in particular with regard to the Baker Act for persons with mental health issues. However, for those persons meeting the criteria for involuntary examination, the Baker Act limits the receiving facility to a 72-hour maximum assessment and evaluation period prior to a treatment decision being made. As such, many persons who may be in need of mental health treatment, as evidenced by their repeatedly meeting the statutory criteria and being taken to a receiving facility for assessment and evaluation cannot, or have not, gotten the treatment they need.
As such, I would request that the Police Department, Housing and Community Services Department and City Attorney’s Office be prepared to provide recommendations as to how individuals with recurring mental health issues, who have been previously taken to a receiving facility for assessment and evaluation on multiple prior occasions, pursuant to Florida’s Baker Act, may be further assessed, evaluated and treated in order to receive the assistance that they may need in order to address their ongoing mental health issues.
Please do not hesitate to contact me or my aide, Robert Novo, if you have any questions.