Susie Lopez, Hillsborough County state attorney and chair of the Public Safety Coordinating Council, opened discussion of a proposed Department of Corrections Mobile Probation and Reentry Unit project and said the full council wants to move forward with a grant application that would come through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as a pass-through for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Deb McGinty, speaking on behalf of Rob Parkinson and representing the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, said a new federal funding cycle is expected this summer and that Hillsborough typically receives about $280,000 to $300,000 for this category of program. “We do have a new cycle of potential funding that's coming up this summer,” McGinty said. She added that staff are preparing specifications for the application and that law enforcement jurisdictions must provide buy-in and reports for the FDLE submittal.

The council discussed how mobile probation units — a bus staffed to deliver probation services and connect people with behavioral health and support services in the community — have been used elsewhere. McGinty said the model has been successful in other jurisdictions and cited Palm Beach County’s report of a 27% reduction in failures to report after it deployed a similar unit; she said Sarasota-Manatee has shown similar results. Council members and staff said they plan to model Hillsborough’s unit on existing programs and will identify necessary enhancements for local needs.

Council members emphasized the need for planning and coordination rather than an immediate appropriation. McGinty said county staff and Rob Parkinson have been consulting stakeholders and will continue outreach: “You all are the group that says where that money needs to go for this project,” she told council members. She said the application process typically opens in June or July and that the county will gather specifications, program details and the required jurisdictional reports for FDLE.

The executive council did not take a formal recorded vote on the project during the meeting; members discussed next steps, outreach and application timing and invited questions or concerns. No funding award or contract was approved at the session.

The meeting included routine business: the executive council approved the minutes of its Sept. 20, 2024 meeting and later moved to adjourn. The council also previewed proposed agenda items for the full council meeting scheduled for May 16 and asked subcommittee chairs and vice chairs to confirm membership and contact information by email.

Background: Mobile probation or reentry units are intended to reduce barriers to supervision appointments by taking services into communities and co-locating social and behavioral health supports. The Hillsborough project would rely on a federal grant administered through FDLE; the precise grant solicitation, application deadline and final award amount are not specified at this meeting.

Next steps noted by members included completing the FDLE application packet, securing jurisdictional buy-in from local law enforcement partners, and returning to the full council with final specifications and a recommendation.