Buchanan to Scott: Anti-opioid money ‘is needed most’ in Manatee, Sarasota

As promised last week, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, whose congressional district has been ravaged by the opioid epidemic, has officially asked Gov. Rick Scott to spend a portion of $27 million in newly available federal anti-opioid funding “where it’s needed most” — in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

“My district is suffering and this money will help save lives,” Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, wrote in a letter dated Wednesday.

“My congressional district deserves special consideration for extra money because it includes Manatee and Sarasota counties, which saw the first- and second-highest number of fentanyl-related deaths per capita in the state in 2015,” Buchanan wrote. “Fentanyl, also known as synthetic heroin, killed more Floridians than heroin in 2015, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission.”

Referring to a Bradenton Herald story, Buchanan noted “the local morgue was filled to capacity this past summer and the county was forced to store bodies at other facilities due to the spike in heroin-related deaths.”

The $27 million in available funding is coming to Florida under the 21st Century Cures Act, approved by Congress last year and signed into law by former President Barack Obama.

“It’s clear that the opioid epidemic has had a terrible impact on Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties,” Buchanan wrote to Scott. “As you distribute these funds, I urge you to focus on helping communities that have borne the brunt of this crisis.”

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Buchanan to Scott: Anti-opioid money ‘is needed most’ in Manatee, Sarasota."