Takeaways From Tallahassee — Helping Out

Peer-to-peer

Florida is doubling down on mental health services to first responders.

This week, First Lady Casey DeSantis announced plans to invest $12 million into peer-to-peer mental health services provided by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The services will cater exclusively to emergency workers and their families.

“Our first responders have made it their life’s work to put the needs of others before their own,” the First Lady said at a Tampa news conference. “It is vital that we provide them with resiliency and mental health resources to continue serving our communities. By expanding these services, we can help to create a strong network of support for our first responders.”

The funding intends to bolster existing local peer-based services across the state. The service connects first responders and their families with fellow responders trained in counseling and familiar with mental health resources.

“First responders impact the lives of Floridians every day, and they deserve our support,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “In Florida, we realize that on top of financial support, our first responders need to have resources available to support their mental health. We will continue to make investments in our first responders that will make lasting impacts.”

DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris described prevention and early intervention as the “cornerstones” to the service. The key, she said, is support at the “first moment of impact.”

Throughout the news conference, first responders themselves detailed the variety of traumatic experiences they face regularly.

“We are thankful for our partners across the state who respond with urgency to their client’s needs,” Harris said. “By further building out and establishing a permanency in resources for mental health services for first responders, we know that the Department will be able to more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of those who give their all to keep our state safe.”

Mental health and first responders are among the top priorities of the DeSantis family. Throughout DeSantis’ first term, the Republican Governor and Casey have launched a series of programs and initiatives.

The emergency response was among the largest in state history and included emergency workers from across the globe.

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Coming up, the usual assortment of tidbits, leftovers, and not-ready-for-prime-time moments by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado, Christine Jordan Sexton, and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

House releases first redistricting drafts to Democratic criticism — Leaders in the House redistricting process this week rebuked criticism from Democrats and outside interests over the first four draft maps released by the Redistricting Committee. The maps, particularly a congressional map that could give an 18-10 advantage for Republicans, follow a more aggressive approach than the Senate’s drafts. However, committee chairs stressed that the drafts are being workshopped and are not the final product. “The partisan narratives and rhetoric will not have a place in this committee process,” said Rep. Tyler Sirois, Chair of the House Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee. Sirois stressed the maps were generated to show how different approaches to drawing boundaries could produce wildly different products.

Ron DeSantis eyes Florida State Guard revival — DeSantis on Thursday said he wants to resurrect the Florida State Guard, a World War II paramilitary force disbanded in the late 1940s. Unlike the Florida National Guard, the FSG would answer solely to the Governor. No federal deployments. No federal missions. No federal dollars. Just $3.5 million in state funds. The State Guard could respond more quickly to emergencies. The upside, DeSantis added, is they’re “not encumbered by the federal government.” The proposal quickly drew criticism from the Governor’s critics. Some likened the force, which parallels 23 states and territories, like California and New York, to the Gestapo.

Tallahassee officials voice opposition to triple House split — It was-all-hands-on-deck for Tallahassee’s top elected officials during the Legislative Redistricting Subcommittee on Friday. Rep. Allison Tant, Mayor John Dailey, and Leon County Commission Chair Rick Minor spoke against a proposal that would split Tallahassee into three House districts for the first time. Tant said she wants to ensure Tallahassee isn’t “cannibalized,” watering down residents’ voices by splitting them between two rural counties. Dailey said he doesn’t want Florida State University’s campus divided either, as the plan would. “We are a university town. We have Town and Gown issues that we work on each and every day,” Dailey said. All three supported the alternative House plan, which kept Tallahassee in just two districts.

Senate plans COVID-19 liability extension — A Senate panel on Tuesday voted to introduce a committee bill to extend COVID-19 liability protections for nursing homes, hospitals and physicians until June 1, 2023, a tacit acknowledgment that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a concern. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Danny Burgess, the proposed bill’s sponsor, said he did not have any data on the number of COVID-19 related lawsuits filed. “I don’t have a stack of data one way or the other, but I think us getting out on this early helped to mitigate what might have been coming down the pike,” he said. The June 1, 2023, expiration date for the enhanced legal protections aligns with the sunset date included in other recently enacted laws relating to COVID-19.

Man charged with cyberstalking, extorting Book — A Plantation man was arrested last month for cyberstalking and attempting to extort Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book. Jeremy Hugo Kamperveen, 19, was charged with cyberstalking, sexual harassment, and extortion on Nov. 17, including “distorted, fake and stolen images created in an effort to intimidate, threaten, and extort” her. “My family and I are most grateful to law enforcement for their swift action,” Book said. “However, the investigation is active and ongoing to ensure that other individuals that could be behind these serious criminal acts that are targeting me are apprehended and brought to justice.”