Council approves joining Lee Countys opioid management plan to receive settlement funds

Bonita Springs City Council approved an interlocal agreement with Lee County to participate in the countys opioid management plan and to accept the citys portion of settlement funds from national opioid litigation.

The decision matters because the city will receive a modest periodic allocation of settlement money but does not have internal programs to spend the funds on prevention and treatment; staff said Lee County will administer services and reporting.

City Attorney Derek described the nationwide pharmaceutical settlements and the states implementation plan that channels funds to counties, cities, nonprofits and other entities. He said the city previously joined regionally with Lee County to qualify as part of a regional grouping that receives funds. "We're going to join in and adopt the plan that Lee County has adopted," Derek said, adding that county human-services staff will coordinate services within city limits and handle audit requirements.

Council members asked about the scale of the citys expected share. Staff characterized the amounts as small and recurring; one figure cited during the discussion was roughly $3,000 to $6,000 over an extended period. "We don't have a program that we can implement for the fairly meager amounts of money that we're receiving," Derek said. Staff and the county agreed the most practical approach is to assign funds to the county plan and have county staff administer prevention and treatment programming.

Council voted to approve the interlocal agreement and directed staff to coordinate with Lee County on implementation and audit responsibilities. Staff said Lee County management will submit required filings by the end of the month.