State Sen. Oscar Braynon, the Miami Gardens Democrat sponsoring the proposal in the Senate, said the needle exchange program would be funded entirely by grants and private donors.
“It would cost the state nothing,” he said. “It might even save some money, because people with these blood-borne diseases are coming into our emergency rooms and costing us millions.”
The measure has some powerful supporters, including the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Hospital Association. So far, it has received only favorable votes.
But last year, at least one lawmaker raised concerns about the program facilitating illegal drug use. Others were reluctant to support a program affecting only Miami-Dade County.
Rep. Mark Pafford, a West Palm Beach Democrat and the bill sponsor in the House, said logistics ultimately caused the proposal to stall.
“It was a timing issue,” Pafford said. “The bill starting moving late in the session, when there were a lot of bills competing to get a hearing. This wasn’t deemed high priority.”
Pafford said he feels “more positive” about the proposal’s chances than he did last year, in part because of the early support in the Senate.
He is hoping to get the word out about the potential benefit to police officers, firefighters and first responders.
“This would certainly be helpful to uniformed officers who are patting down people and working in an environment where these things are laying around,” Pafford said.