SUBSTANCE-ABUSE FUNDS WERE INCREASED

Re: Corrections' skewed priorities, editorial, Sept. 11.

As chairman of the Florida Senate Appropriations subcommittee on
criminal justice, I would like to clarify some points in the editorial
regarding Department of Corrections substance-abuse funding. It is
important to note that the 2003 Florida Legislature, contrary to what
was stated in the editorial, increased the department's annual
recurring funding for substance-abuse services by $2.6-million in
fiscal year 2003-2004. This funding increase will be maintained in
subsequent years.

The problem you address in your editorial stems from the fact that in
2002 the Legislature provided $4.5-million in one-time money to fund
substance-abuse services for fiscal year 2002-2003. Therefore, as of
July 1, that $4.5-million is no longer in the department's budget. The
department knew - and its providers should have known - that this was
a temporary, one-time increase in funding for those programs.

However, it is unclear to me why the department waited until we were
two months into the fiscal year to notify the substance-abuse
providers that some of the funding for their contracts would not be
available after June 30. Therefore, I have contacted the department to
find if the providers were notified, and if they were not, then why.

SEN. VICTOR D. CRIST

Florida Senate District 12

Tallahassee