House passes mental‑health diversion bill after advocates and attorneys debate scope and models

The Florida House approved CS for CS for Senate Bill 168, known in debate as the Tristan Murphy Act, advancing a package of reforms that expand grant programs, authorize model diversion processes for misdemeanor and nonviolent felony defendants with mental‑health needs, and create data‑sharing infrastructure for behavioral‑health outcomes.

Representative Cobb, sponsor of the House measure, described provisions that expand training grants to include 9‑1‑1 operators and EMS technicians, authorize a forensic hospital diversion pilot program in Hillsborough County, and allow courts to consider mental‑health evaluations for probation conditions. The bill also authorizes a Florida Behavioral Healthcare Data Repository to compile secure, cross‑agency mental‑health data for program evaluation.

Supporters including Representatives Daley and Gantt praised the bill as an important step away from using jails as default mental‑health providers. Representative Daley, a former prosecutor, and Representative Gantt, a defense attorney, said local pilot programs and judicial diversion models already in place in some circuits showed the concept can work; the bill aims to scale models statewide and clarify prosecutorial and court roles.

The measure passed on final passage with a recorded voice method across several committee actions and received broad support on the floor. Proponents urged a continued focus on implementation and funding to avoid placing unfunded obligations on local systems.

Implementation notes: The bill directs state agencies and grant programs to coordinate training, pilot program implementation, and creation of a behavioral‑health data repository; follow‑up rulemaking and budget allocations will determine rollout and capacity.