Gov. Scott holds ceremonial signing of opioid bill
State law enforces stricter penalties, targets dealers
A new Florida law that cracks down on opioid dealers was crafted with recommendations from an Orange County heroin task force.
Several task force members, including co-chair and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and Orlando Police Chief John Mina, stood with Gov. Rick Scott for the latest of three ceremonial bill signings Thursday at the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office.
“The recommendations that came out of that task force are going to save lives,” Mina said.
House Bill 477 creates new penalties and enhances existing laws related to synthetic opioid drugs, including fentanyl. Earlier this year, the governor declared a statewide public health emergency because of the growing crisis.
As a result, more than $27 million federal dollars were dispersed among state agencies, Scott said. About $375,000 went to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to equip officers with an opiate antidote called Narcan.
Scott signed the bill into law on June 14 in the state’s capital, and it went into effect July 1. His ceremonial signing in Orlando followed two others July 11: one in Sarasota and another that afternoon in Palm Beach.
The Orlando signing comes the same week Mina issued a new directive for his officers in the way they should handle overdose cases, after three officers were taken to the hospital when one became ill after responding to the report of an overdose.
The opioid crisis is “the most damning public safety crisis” in Central Florida, said FDLE Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks.
“It’s not violent crime; it’s not even terrorism ... It is death due to opioid addiction, and it affects nearly every family in Central Florida,” Banks said.
Not even the governor’s family was immune to the drug’s effects. Scott spoke candidly about his brother’s longtime drug addiction and the pain it caused his mother until her death five years ago.
“I know up to the day she died, it was one of the issues that she struggled with the most — that she had a son that could not beat the addictions that he had,” Scott said.
Demings said there has been more than a 100 percent increase in drug use and deaths during the first six months of this year compared to the same time period last year. Statewide, deaths from fentanyl in 2016 increased nearly 100 percent over the the previous year.
“Many are victims who have fallen prey to the endless cycle of addiction. With our help, their addictions can be turned into stories of success and recovery,” Demings said.
The new legislation targets the dealers. Previously, drug dealers with fentanyl could only be charged with possessing the drug. A trafficking statute didn’t apply to fentanyl like existing laws against cocaine and heroin. Trafficking charges carry harsher penalties.
“We know any kind of addiction is a disease, and our focus is not on the users, other than to get information about where they’re getting the drugs. Our focus is on the dealers, the people who know this is killing people,” Mina said.
The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association in January called for eight actions the legislature should take, including enhancing penalties for trafficking fentanyl. Executive Director Mark Fontaine, anticipates the law will make a dent in the fight, but said there is still more to do.
“If the availability of fentanyl is curtailed, fewer people will die,” Fontaine said. “It’s all about the big picture. All these pieces have to fall together.”