BAKER ACT

ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a sobering sign of Florida’s mental health crisis among children. According to a new study by the University of South Florida, more children than ever are being Baker Acted. While the total number of Baker Act exams performed on adults in Florida is down, many of the involuntary mental health exams were done on children during fiscal year 2020-2021 than ever before. READ: Orange County warming centers open despite staffing concernsThe number of involuntary psychiatric exams on children exceed 38,000, an increase of 77% in just the past decade, equivalent to an average of more than 100 children a day who, in one year, underwent mental health exams against their will in Florida. According to the report, the highest number of exams on children during that time period occurred among white girls between the ages of 11 and 14.

Florida had 5,077 incidents of students being involuntarily committed under the Baker Act during the past school year.

Florida had 5,077 incidents of students being involuntarily committed under a mental-health law known as the Baker Act during the past school year, data presented...

According to a poll of parents by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 44% reported concerns about their children’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, but only 16% looked for help for their kids.

Bills will soon be piling up on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk as Florida’s 60-day legislative session winds down to its final week.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 14-year-old girl accused of shooting at Volusia County deputies was in court Wednesday morning. Nicole Jackson’s hearing lasted a few minutes and ended with her case set to continue next month. Nicole stood by her lawyer’s side in her orange Volusia County Detention Center jumpsuit, with her hands cuffed in front. Deputies said Nicole and a 12-year-old boy ran off from an Enterprise children’s home last June, broke into a house and shot at deputies. READ: Girl, 14, accused of getting in shootout with Volusia deputies to be charged as adultThe couple and other supporters who were there for Nicole said they are looking at hiring a private attorney to take her case.

(Nicholas Gonzalez)OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Nicholas Gonzalez says before last weekend, his sister wasn’t a violent person. Last Saturday deputies said his sister, Natalie Gonzalez, 32, called 911 after attacking her mom, Jacqueline Negron, believing she was a different family member out to hurt her. Natalie, who her brother said was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is now charged with first-degree murder for her mother’s death. The Baker Act allows a person to be involuntarily examined on the decision of law enforcement or mental health professionals. “A lot of people are going to paint this like it’s my sister murdering my mother,” he said.

Fake bomb: A handwritten note by a Florida man warned people to stay away from his Vero Beach home. (Indian River County Sheriff's Office)VERO BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man resorted to an explosive decision to ward off an eviction notice. >> Read more trending newsAccording to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, the man, who was not identified, taped a fake bomb to his porch Wednesday morning. You have family!”The sheriff’s office said it invoked the Baker Act and took the man to an area health clinic for evaluation. The eviction notice was eventually served, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies with crisis-intervention training and firefighters helped talk the girl to safety.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Children are being taken from school involuntarily for mental health evaluation. Many times, parents have no idea. 9 investigates why these cases have nearly doubled in Florida in the past decade, and whether the Baker Act is being abused with our children, today at 5p.m. on Channel 9 Eyewitness News. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

The Lake Mary Police Department is "reimagining" how law enforcement officers help people suffering from mental illness.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The family of Gregory Edwards filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking punitive damages against the West Melbourne police officers who arrested the combat veteran leading up to his death in the Brevard County Jail. The City of West Melbourne is also listed as a defendant in the civil suit. Edwards was arrested a day earlier by West Melbourne police outside a retail store for allegedly assaulting a charity worker. The lawsuit lists Edwards’ episode as a serious medical emergency requiring immediate treatment that he did not receive under the care of authorities. Edwards later got into a confrontation with deputies while at the Brevard County Jail.

Jonathan Ernst | ReutersA dramatic police bodycam video released Monday shows Florida cops aggressively tackling former Trump presidential campaign chief Brad Parscale after a standoff outside his home, where his wife told officers that Parscale has hit her in the past, and was suicidal and armed. "I didn't do anything," an upset Brad Parscale repeatedly said on the video, which was posted on the Fort Lauderale Police Department's YouTube page. (Warning: the video shows disturbing content.) After Brad Parscale loaded the round, Candice Parscale "immediately fled residence and stated she heard a loud bang shortly after," the report said. Fort Lauderdale police body cam footage at the home of President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale.

Last November 29, Christine Touhey led sheriffs deputies to her mother, Cecilia Touhey, 60, in one of the houses bedrooms. On Friday, sheriffs deputies responded to yet another overdose call at 39 Belleaire, this time, the victim did not survive. Bryan Touhey had called 911 to report that Tara Sanfilippo, 28, had possibly overdosed on Xanax and Fentanyl. Christine Touhey had started CPR. A sheriffs sergeant administered a dose of Narcan and took over CPR when he arrived, and another dose was administered before rescue paramedics took Sanfilippo to AdventHealth.

A proposal that would require school officials to verify that de-escalation tactics have been used before a student can be involuntarily committed under the Baker Act is headed to the House floor. The House Education Committee unanimously backed the bill (HB 1083) on Wednesday, with Republicans and Democrats saying that more needs to be done to address problems with how the Baker Act is used at schools. State Rep. Jennifer Webb, D-Gulfport, said she sponsored the bill after learning about an increasing number of students being committed under the Baker Act in her district. And over the last five years, the rate of Baker Acts has risen by 35 percent at our schools, she told the committee. There is a problem with our Baker Act in general, but especially as it relates to children, Byrd said.

The Volusia County administrator who oversees the school districts efforts to educate students with disabilities said school personnel wouldnt use the Baker Act as a form of discipline against students with autism. Last year 115 children with autism in Volusia County were taken under the Baker Act to Halifax Health the only Baker Act intake facility for minors in Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties. We are trying to handle a non-criminal matter with what alternatives we have, said Volusia County Sheriffs Det. Going forward, the Volusia school district should have a better idea how often it uses the Baker Act on students. Its really hard for family members to understand the whole issue of what the Baker Act is intended for.

Some money from Tallahassee is trickling down into Lake County in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Local projects funded include $500,000 for a workforce entry initiative and $250,000 for additional Baker Act beds in Lake and Sumter counties. On the chopping block was funding for building upgrades at Lake-Sumter State College as well as money that would have helped start a graduate medical program at Leesburg Regional Medical Center. Many were projects at state colleges and universities. As for what did the make the budget: LifeStream Behavioral Center was awarded $250,000.