Changes recommended by the state’s Purple Ribbon Alzheimer's task force are making their way through the Legislature. But, local municipalities are raising concerns over some aspects of the bills.
Four bills dealing with Alzheimer’s are in process. Two deal with public records exemptions and two implement recommendations made by the state task force. Representative Matt Hudson (R-Naples) is pushing the bills. On Wednesday, he told the story of one couple – his grandparents, Ed and Ethel Moore.
“ Ethal suffered a stroke and Ed developed Alzheimer’s, creating that very difficult situation for any family to deal with. Now I will tell you that Ed and Ethal had a daughter and that daughter had two sons – one Mike, became a commander in the coast guard. One, Matt, became a state representative," Hudson said.
Hudson, who served on the state’s Alzheimer task force, said his measure would create a database where people can find special needs shelters during disaster situations, create a funding framework for memory disorder clinics and establish a research foundation named after the Moores. Hudson said these changes are especially important for Florida’s aging population. And Alachua County Legislative Affairs coordinator Mark Sexton said he embraces the changes, but does have some concerns about how the bill will interact with the services his community is already providing.
“Alachua County is one of those emergency management systems that does an excellent job with special needs. We have a proud history that goes back to Craig Fugate, when he was our emergency manager, now the head of FEMA,” Sexton said.
Sexton said his county has had a registry for about 30 years and he’s unclear how the “one size fits all” rules in the bill would change that system. But for the most part, lawmakers like Boca Raton Democratic Representative Kevin Rader said they’re happy to see the legislation. Rader said the issue is very personal to him too.
“My grandfather who is probably one of the reasons why I’m sitting here today developed Alzheimer’s in his mid to late 80s, excuse me, dementia, and just the debilitating nature of it and taking away his mental ability is something that really takes a lot out of the family," Rader said.
Hudson said he hopes to work with Alachua officials to relieve their concerns. He’s also sponsoring a bill that creates a public records exemption for research grant applications. He’s already amended the bill to address concerns raised by the First Amendment Foundation.
The measures passed out of the House Committee unanimously. A pair of similar bills were scheduled for discussion in the Senate as well, but officials said they’ve been temporarily postponed.
