Commissioners delay vote on David Lawrence behavioral health center operating agreement, ask for more financial and bed-count detail

The Collier County Board of County Commissioners on May 27 considered a proposed fourth amendment to a vacant land contract and associated operating and naming-rights agreements with David Lawrence Center (DLC) to build and operate a Collier County Behavioral Health Center but deferred final action to a June 10 meeting.

County staff and DLC representatives presented an updated operating attachment that would make the new facility a central receiving facility under Florida’s Baker Act and Marchman Act and would require DLC to manage most day-to-day operations and equipment costs. Edward Finn, deputy county manager, told commissioners the facility would be known as the Collier County Behavioral Health Center and that the operating exhibit “details the operating hours of the facility, number of beds, type of services rendered” and clarifies maintenance and insurance responsibilities.

Why it matters: Commissioners pressed for clearer accounting of how many beds are genuinely new versus existing beds whose use would be relocated to the new building, and for firmer assurance about how operating shortfalls will be handled so taxpayers are not exposed to an open-ended obligation. The board asked DLC and county staff to provide additional clarifications and updated pro forma figures before voting.

Most of the discussion focused on bed counts and finances. DLC leaders said the new central receiving facility would include 87 beds (adult crisis stabilization, psychiatric inpatient and expanded emergency behavioral assessment), while the DLC campus would be renovated to provide additional beds for children and longer-term substance-use treatment, yielding a larger combined capacity across both sites. Commissioners and DLC officials repeatedly debated how many beds on current DLC campuses are temporary, how many would convert to other uses, and the resulting “net” increase attributable to the new building. DLC officials and the county repeatedly emphasized they expected a net increase in capacity countywide but differed on how to present the math to the commission and the public.

DLC board chairman Edward Morton said the center will serve many who arrive by public conveyance and estimated that “61 percent of those brought to the central receiving facility are uninsured.” He also said DLC’s board and management “are fully committed to covering, those losses that do remain” through philanthropic and other non‑county revenue sources if needed, but he acknowledged a pro forma shortfall remains.

County attorney and staff counsel described the lease and operating agreement terms: the county would construct the facility but would not be contractually responsible for ordinary operating costs; DLC would be responsible for initial and replacement furniture, fixtures and equipment for the lease term; and the naming-rights amendment requires naming‑proceeds to first fund FF&E and then be applied to operational costs with annual reporting. The agreements also provide that if a major funding shortfall arises and the board declines to bridge it, the lease could be terminated and DLC would have six months to purchase the facility at the greater of fair market value or the county’s construction cost.

No final votes. After extended public comment and commissioner questions, Commissioner Kevin Locastro moved — and Commissioner James McDaniel seconded — to continue the item to June 10 so staff and DLC can provide the additional bed-count and pro forma detail requested by the board. The motion carried; the board directed staff to add a discussion slot on the June 3 mental-health workshop and to return with follow-up materials for the June 10 meeting.

DLC and county officials said they will continue to pursue philanthropic and grant funding, and the naming-rights amendment would require DLC to report annually on naming proceeds and their use. The operating attachment includes performance measures, a requirement for monthly neighborhood meetings, a 10-foot wall along two property edges and a security plan to be coordinated with the sheriff’s office.

What’s next: The board asked DLC and county staff to supply clearer, line‑by‑line budget projections, a reconciled bed-count (current campus beds by license and temporary waivers versus new facility assignments), and any updated commitments on philanthropic or grant revenue before June 10. Commissioners said they might discuss the item further at a June 3 workshop where key stakeholders will be present.