Florida
Florida suicide prevention plans and initiatives
In 2007 Florida law established the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention (SOSP), currently within the Department of Children and Families (DCF) under the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, to improve statewide suicide prevention initiatives (§ 14.2019). The law also established the Florida Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council (SPCC), which is charged with advising SOSP and held accountable to the legislature for designing strategies to implement the state’s suicide prevention strategy (§ 14.20195). In 2020, the First Responders Suicide Deterrent Task Force was created adjunct to the SOSP and tasked with releasing an annual report on its findings and recommendations for training programs and materials to deter suicide among active and retired first responders (§ 14.2019(5)); see the latest 2023 report.
In 2019 an Interagency Committee chaired by SOSP and the Department of Health was established to urge state agencies to take a more active role in statewide suicide prevention efforts and collaborate with SPCC on the updated The Florida Suicide Prevention Interagency Action Plan: August 2020 – June 2023. The SPCC is also responsible for an annual report (§ 14.20195(c)) that includes the status of existing and planned initiatives identified in the state plan as well as new recommendations to enhance suicide prevention efforts.