02/19/2026
On behalf of the Public Policy and Legislation Committee:
Support 988 in Florida! The Senate is asking for the full funding that DCF (who oversees 988) is asking for. YAY! However, 988 does not show up in the House budget. This is the time for a very targeted ask, so we are requesting support by asking everyone to email your personal house representative about this ASAP. To make this easy for you, here is a template using FCA's talking points:
Dear [NAME of Legislative Aid or Legislator],
My name is [YOUR NAME], and I live in [YOUR CITY]. I am writing to express my concern about a lack of funding for the 988 Crisis Hotline. It is important that our elected officials take action on this to help save the lives of Floridians in need.
In FY 2024-25 and FY 2023-24, the requested recurring funding for this life-saving resource was reduced by half in final budgets. Please don't let that happen again. 96% of callers are diverted from higher, more costly levels of care such as Mobile Response Teams (MRTs) or Crisis Stabilization Unites (CSUs). Since 988 launched in July 2022, Florida call volume has increased 20-22% annually. To run this universal entry point for crisis care effectively, you can see with the increased call volume that DCF needs more money not less. Unfortunately, the house budget does not include funding for the 988 hotline. However, the Senate budget summary shows the full funding that DCF asked for - $9.6 million with $7.56M
being recurring. Therefore, I ask that you ensure 988 funding appears in the House budget to match the Senate budget. Current funding relies heavily on temporary federal sources, including a grant set to expire in September 2026. Please work to ensure continued, cost-saving and life saving support through the 988 hotline.
Thank you for helping support the well-being of our communities.
Warmly,
[YOUR NAME]
