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Recovery providers press Broward commissioners for clearer process to guide $46M in opioid settlement funds
Summary
A recovery coalition urged Broward County commissioners to require formal, ongoing stakeholder engagement on how opioid settlement dollars are spent, arguing current decisions are too removed from frontline providers. County staff said coalitions and RFPs are already underway; the participation agreement passed unanimously.
Rick Riccardi, a representative of Fellowship Recovery Community, urged the Broward County Commission to formalize a process that brings front-line addiction providers, peer organizations and housing programs into spending decisions for opioid settlement funds. "Unless we're on the ground working with individuals every day, it's really impossible to fully see where these funds belong," Riccardi said during public comment on April 14.
The commission heard Riccardi's request during consideration of item 40, a participation agreement regarding opioid litigation. Riccardi cited that Broward County has received about $46 million in opioid settlement payments and that only a fraction had been used, urging the county to ensure funding supports the full continuum of care: prevention, treatment, harm reduction, recovery supports, and housing.
County staff responded that outreach and planning are underway. Monica (county administration) told commissioners staff has been meeting with United Way, Broward's Coalition on Behavioral Health and Drug Prevention, community response teams and an epidemiologist at Nova Southeastern University to develop a 2026'029 opioid action plan. "Everything that was requested has been happening," she said, noting meetings, town halls and stakeholder convenings were in progress.
Commissioners expressed support for including providers such as Fellowship Recovery in future planning. Senator Rich and others said they expected to see explicit stakeholder involvement and RFPs that reflect community needs rather than top-down strategies. After discussion, the board approved the participation agreement by unanimous vote.
Next steps: staff said they will continue the coalition-led planning process and refine proposed RFPs and allocations for commission consideration. The county said it will present more detail on expenditures and allocations in follow-up materials.
