Thank you, Chairman Rodriguez, for putting the Mental Health Center before the County’s Appropriations Committee this Wednesday. This legislation represents the culmination of 20 years of effort, following 2004 voter approval of General Obligation Bonds (GOB) to construct a new Mental Health Center. The Resolution before the Miami-Dade County Commission Appropriations Committee seeks approval of the operating plan and budget necessary to open the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery (MCMHR)—a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive diversion and treatment facility designed to replace the costly and ineffective cycle of jail, homelessness, and acute-care hospitalization with a coordinated system of care.
For decades, Miami-Dade County has lived with one of the most shameful statistics in America — our jail has become the largest psychiatric facility in Florida. Every night, roughly 3,500 people with serious mental illness sit behind bars not because they’re dangerous, but because they’re sick and untreated. They cycle endlessly between jail, homelessness, and hospitals — draining our system, our officers, and our taxpayers.
This is not news. Over the last decade, Miami-Dade Corrections has spent nearly $3.9 billion operating our jails — and a staggering $2.5 billion of that went toward inmates with mental health needs. Between 2019 and 2023, more than 16,000 individuals accounted for 1.27 million jail days, costing taxpayers $414 million. Most were charged with nonviolent offenses — people who could have been diverted to treatment. That’s not public safety. That’s public waste…