Seminole County commissioners are set to sign off Tuesday on two federal grant requests worth up to $4.3 million combined to expand the county's mental health court and its drug-focused problem-solving court, along with a contract to launch a federally funded mental health program for children with serious emotional disturbances.
All of the items sit on the consent agenda for the Board of County Commissioners meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the board's chambers. Each is listed as countywide, which includes Winter Springs.
Mental health court: up to $3 million
The larger request asks the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance for up to $3 million over three years through its Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative. According to the staff summary, the 18th Circuit's mental health court program and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Behavioral Health Unit asked the county to apply.
The money would pay for mental health and substance use treatment for people in the mental health court program and would also support crisis stabilization centers. The summary describes those as round-the-clock drop-off sites where officers can bring a person for quick assessment, stabilization and civil commitment evaluations when the person is a danger to themselves or others.
That grant requires a local match of 20% in the first two years and 40% in the third. Staff wrote that the match would come from in-kind support from the court, the sheriff's unit and partners at the crisis centers.
Problem-solving court: up to $1.3 million
The second application seeks up to $1.3 million over three years from a federal opioid, stimulant and substance use program. Seminole County won the same grant in 2022, and that award runs out Sept. 30, 2026, according to the summary.
New money would add screening and evaluation, more drug testing inside the courthouse, a liaison between the courts and the corrections facility, and treatment that brings in family members. It would also create one full-time drug lab administrative job. No local match is required.
Staff is asking the board to ratify both applications.
