Subject:
Title
Assignment of City of Belleair Bluffs City/County Funds from the Opioid Litigation to the Pinellas County City/County Fund.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval and execution by the County Administrator of the Assignment of the City of Belleair Bluff’s City/County Funds, from the opioid litigation settlement to the Pinellas County’s City/County Fund.
• The State of Florida entered into settlement agreements pursuant to the opioid litigation and created the City/County Fund to distribute funds both to municipalities and counties.
• Belleair Bluffs seeks to assign its opioid funds to the County for distribution to support approved purposes and administrative oversight.
• The County currently provides and will expand its provision of opioid abatement services on a county-wide basis serving both incorporated and unincorporated areas, including Belleair Bluffs.
• Belleair Bluff’s anticipated allocation of the settlement is $31,705.26. Belleair Bluffs has not received payment and has not filed any reporting with the State.
• There is no direct cost or expense associated with entering into this assignment. Pinellas County is eligible to receive a 5% administrative fee for supporting the administration and oversight of the Belleair Bluffs allocation as we do with the other city assignments. No budget amendment will be necessary to add these funds to the budget as the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget is sufficient to cover the expected expenditures for FY26.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Health and Safe Communities
2.1 Improve public health.
2.2 Enhance community safety.
Prosperity and Opportunity
3.3 Increase workforce opportunities.
Summary:
This Assignment assigns the opioid funds to be received by the municipality through the City/County Fund from the opioid litigation to the County, to be included in the County’s City/County Fund and to be used for approved purposes, less an administrative fee, pursuant to the negotiated Florida settlement agreement.
The County agrees to accept the funds assigned by the municipality and to use the funds for approved purposes and satisfy any reporting requirements pursuant to the Florida settlement agreement.
At the time of this Assignment, Belleair Bluffs has not received the funding from the State and has not submitted reporting. The County did not include the assignment of Belleair Bluff’s funds in its 2023, 2024 or 2025 reporting to the State.
Background/Explanation:
Separate payments of Opioid Settlement Funds are to be distributed directly to municipalities and to the County through the City/County Fund. For Belleair Bluffs, receiving a separate payment from the City/County Fund would require separate programs and reporting requirements which will be duplicative of those provided by the County. Previously the following Municipalities have assigned their funds to the County; Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Oldsmar, Largo and Seminole, Pinellas Park and City of Clearwater.
In addition to managing the City/County fund, Pinellas County is participating in a unified settlement for opioid-related claims under the framework of the Florida Plan, as proposed by the Attorney General, to ensure that “Regional Funds” (funds intended to benefit Pinellas and all the municipalities therein) are spent within Pinellas County and on abatement programming determined locally to be in the best interest of Pinellas County. To become a “Qualified County” under this unified settlement, the County entered into an interlocal agreement with the Cities of Pinellas Park, Clearwater, and St.
Petersburg, which was executed on December 22, 2021.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no direct cost or expense associated with entering into this assignment. Pinellas County is eligible to receive a 5% administrative fee for supporting the administration and oversight of the Belleair Bluffs allocation as we do with the other city assignments.
No budget amendment will be necessary to add these funds to the budget as the FY26 budget is sufficient to cover the expected expenditures for FY26.
Delegated Authority:
Authority for the County Administrator to sign this Agreement is granted under (Code Section 2-62 (a)(1).
Staff Member Responsible:
Karen Yatchum, Director, Human Services
Partners:
The City of Belleair Bluffs
Pinellas County Opioid Task Force
Attachments:
Assignment