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Senate President Andy Gardiner Calls for Review of State Mental Health Services

Senate President Andy Gardiner is being targeted by mailers from the conservative Americans for Prosperity Group.
Senate President Andy Gardiner is being targeted by mailers from the conservative Americans for Prosperity Group.

Many Floridians with mental health issues are going unnoticed by the state. That’s according to Senate President Andy Gardiner, who is calling for lawmakers to take a closer look this legislative session at how state agencies handle mental health.

The Orlando Republican has asked the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to review everything from crisis management teams to funding for treatment centers.

“We want to understand what we’ve done. We really haven’t had a good review of mental health for 15 or 20 years, and we’d just like to focus some attention on it," he said in a phone interview.

Gardiner’s push comes after police arrested John Johnchuck on first degree murder charges for allegedly throwing his 5-year-old daughter Phoebe into Tampa Bay.

He had several interactions with law enforcement before the incident.

The legislative session begins March 3rd.