A joint House and Senate committee Friday freed up $335,000 for a headquarters facility for a Florida National Guard program that helps target illegal drugs.
The “counterdrug program” facility at Camp Blanding received $2.165 million in the state budget for the current fiscal year. The approval Friday of the additional $335,000 by the Joint Legislative Budget Commission will bring the total to $2.5 million.
The National Guard needed the additional money to cover the lowest bid. “We did make significant cuts to the scope of the bids, unfortunately, that still did not get us to the lowest bid number,” said Col. Adam Curry, state quartermaster.
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Among other issues, the legislative commission authorized nearly $6 million from a federal grant for the Department of Children and Families to build out the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
The money includes $1.125 million for a statewide marketing campaign and $4.6 million for 13 crisis centers.
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