Escambia County opioid funds, grants and treatment data reviewed; $1.7 million available for new awards

The Escambia County board overseeing opioid abatement spending reviewed the program's available funds and grant pipeline and heard progress reports from local treatment and outreach providers.

Opioid-abatement program staff told the board the county has received $5,369,663.88 in settlement payments to date and has obligated $3,647,362.36, leaving “just over $1,700,000.0” available to award for the current fiscal year. The staff member said the county's last payment arrived on Jan. 28, 2025, and that the next payment is expected around January or February 2026.

The board was also notified of an expected McKenzie settlement payment of about $129,000, which staff said is expected in September and will “come back before you guys to accept those funds” and later be sent to the Board of County Commissioners for final acceptance.

Why this matters: The remaining balance and the incoming settlement affect which local nonprofits and programs receive grants from opioid-abatement funds. At the meeting, staff outlined a timetable for reviewing a new round of grant applications and said funds are already being reimbursed to some prior awardees.

Board business and grant timetable

Staff reported that four nonprofit awardees from the 2024–25 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) have started submitting reimbursement requests and have received payments. Two awardees that are working on property purchases or construction were described as preparing reimbursement requests "real soon." The FY 2025–26 NOFA deadline fell the prior Friday; staff said 10 applications were…