Pasco commissioners approve $5.7 million in opioid-settlement grants, set capital contingency for Steps to Recovery

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve the opioid task force''s recommended year-3 allocations on Thursday, directing about $5.7 million in settlement funds to community organizations and county programs addressing substance use and related mental health needs. The board also reinstated a $469,000 capital contingency and asked staff to review a separate Steps to Recovery request for roughly $437,000 related to construction costs.

The allocations come from two settlement-derived streams the county receives: the city-county fund (local) and the regional fund. Paola Barcaldo, director of Support Services and chair of Pasco''s Opioid Task Force, briefed commissioners on the task force''s recommended awards and the internal county projects funded through a board-designated carve-out.

The board approved the task force''s recommended awards to the following applicants (total recommended allocation per organization): BayCare Behavioral Health, $697,896; Premier Community Healthcare Group, $336,335.50; The Hope Shot, $961,867; Alliance for Healthy Communities, $358,075.50; Pasco County Corrections, $1,000,120; Van Gogh''s Palette, $60,000; ACE Opportunities,…