"I would like to thank the authors of this bill for their work in increasing funding for drug enforcement activities.
"One million dollars in funding for the designation of Central Florida as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) has been provided in the House Treasury, Postal Service and General Government appropriations bill. I made this request because I feel it is necessary that we commit every available resource to combat the drug scourge in Central Florida.
"A HIDTA designation would provide additional resources to help better coordinate federal, state and local drug activities. My intent is to support local efforts to combat the influx of drugs and the attending crime that results.
"In the Orlando area, heroin overdose deaths went from zero in 1993 to 30 last year. More teens died locally of overdoses than almost any other major U.S. city.
"So you can see the situation we are in. In fact, my area in Orlando also ranked second behind Miami in total cocaine deaths in Florida. This situation has deteriorated to such an extent in Florida that I have asked our Drug Czar, Barry McCaffrey, to cooperate in qualifying Central Florida as a HIDTA which would bring much needed resources to our area and into our state.
"There already are HIDTAs operating in many cities and regions throughout the country--including a successful program in Miami-- and they have proved successful in aiding with command and control, manpower and funding issues. Your support for adding Central Florida to the HIDTA list guarantees that Florida will continue to have adequate funding to battle the increasing amount of illegal drugs that are trafficking through our state."
The bill approving the $1 million for Central Florida’s HIDTA passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 231-192.