Clay projects survive DeSantis veto

BY DAN HILDEBRAN

ClayCivic.com Publisher

All but one of the appropriations earmarked for Clay County in Florida’s 2023-2024 budget survived Gov. Ron DeSantis’s line-item veto.

The chief executive nixed a $250,000 appropriation for the Clay County Youth Alternative to Secured Detention, commonly known as the SWEAT program.

However, the governor signed the state’s $117 billion spending plan with several other Clay projects included.

The first was $3 million for a substance abuse treatment facility. The second surviving line item was $1 million for a regional sports complex north of Camp Blanding. The Way Free Medical Clinic’s College Drive facility and a law enforcement task force that targets online predators will each get $1.5 million in the state’s budget.

During a legislative briefing last week, State Rep. Sam Garrison said the treatment facility had been a resource law enforcement and public health officials in the county had been seeking for years.

Sen. Jennifer Bradley added: “With the fentanyl and opioids, there’s just not enough bed space in Clay County to address our substance abuse issues. That’s been an issue that we’ve been trying to get resources for. This budget has $3 million for a substance abuse facility here in Clay County, and that’s really going to help a lot of families.”

Bradley also hailed the $1.5 million appropriation for the Way Free Medical Clinic’s facility on College Drive.

 “That is a big deal for a lot of folks who rely on a lot of very generous, bighearted folks who provide medical care to those in our community who need it the most,” she said.

Bradley said the budget also includes money for two county fire stations, road improvements, and trails.