Escambia advisory board approves Waterfront Mission scope change, sets 2025 funding timeline

The Escambia County Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board on Thursday approved a change to Waterfront Mission’s scope of work, reviewed progress reports from current awardees and confirmed a timeline to release the next notice of funding availability on June 5, 2025, with applications due Sept. 12, 2025.

The action to amend Waterfront Mission’s grant request followed the organization’s request to shift from building new construction to purchasing and renovating an existing property. Marcus Bell, vice president for PR and development at Waterfront Mission, said after contractor and engineering estimates “the cost per square footage had just even increased dramatically” and that the group had identified two properties near its current units that it is negotiating to acquire. “That’s our scope of work change request,” Bell said.

The change-of-scope motion was made, seconded and approved by the advisory board. The board did not provide a roll-call vote in the meeting transcript; the vote was recorded as approving the request.

Why this matters: The board reported it has received a total of $5,369,663.88 in opioid abatement funds to date; an additional distribution of $1,334,395.39 arrived in January. Of the total, $1,667,629.89 was identified as available to obligate for new awards. The board’s schedule sets the next funding round to open in June and close Sept. 12, giving applicants roughly three months…