Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Let's sober up

Comment Up

On the Consent agenda tonight: the registration of Sober houses--

Just what we want and need in our city-- worse than vacation rentals. Why are they coming here?  Because property is cheap. And what is more unbelievable are all the sessions that the Florida Legislature has had to take just to get a semi-sensible bill passed.  I say "semi-sensible" because these houses should not be in residential neighborhoods.  But recovering alcoholics and drug abusers have rights too. Just think, you might end up living next to Lindsay or worse, her father.

Currently the State Legislators are considering House Bill 479 requiring sober house transitional living homes to annually register with the Department of Children and Families. The House Bill also authorizes them to deny, suspend, or revoke the Certificate of Registration of a sober house transitional home.

CS/CS/HB 479 - Substance Abuse Services General Bill by Health & Human Services Committee and Healthy Families Subcommittee and Hager (CO-SPONSORS) Berman; Brodeur; Combee; Edwards; Harrell; Kerner; Lee; Magar; Moskowitz; Murphy; Pafford; Peters; Pigman; Powell; Pritchett; Rooney; Stewart

Substance Abuse Services: Requires DCF to create voluntary certification program for recovery residences & recovery residence administrators; authorizes department to approve credentialing entities to administer programs & requires such entities to establish process for certifying recovery residences & residence administrators; requires background screening of recovery residence employees & volunteers & applicants for certification as administrators; provides for denial, suspension, or revocation of certification; provides criminal penalty for misrepresentation in advertising; requires list of all certified recovery residences & administrators to be published on department's website. Effective Date: July 1, 2014 Last Event: Added to Second Reading Calendar on Monday, April 07, 2014 3:49 PM

And if you are in need of a really good transitional home--

3 comments:

Weetha Peebull said...

Oh Great - Another Layer of FAILED Bureaucracy! DCF FAILED Nubia Barahona! I asked PBC DCF about their 'success' rate after reading about 'cupcake' wars as part of their self sustainability plan presented to the county commissioners in 2010 and they didn't count but thought it was a good idea!

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The DCF is a poor solution!

"The case has sparked outrage from Florida citizens and officials regarding the Florida Department of Children and Families' handling of previous allegations of abuse by the Barahonas."

FYI: I love this gal in Delray that offered the paparazzi seats and beverages to take pics of celebrities from their elite sober house by the beach!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Nubia_Barahona

Anonymous said...

actually it might be fund living next door to Lindsay Lohan

Anonymous said...

I sure hope someone asks the City commission why they won't enforce the short term rental ordinance (which is valid and enforceable since it came before the state law saying local governments couldn't regulate rentals) as a means to keep sober houses out of our city.

The folks that patronize sober houses are in likely in violation of our short term rental law since most only stay for 4 weeks.