BAKER ACT

The Florida Hospital Association said their providers are admitting more Baker Act and involuntary psychiatric holds than ever before.

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

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.

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

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.