If Stuart city commissioners want to make a decision about approving an alcohol and drug treatment center based on politics alone, their work should be easy.
After all, many residents living in the neighborhood near the proposed center, 500 SE Indian St., don't want it. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, arguably the community's most popular political leader, has spoken against it. On top of that, this is an election year, with two of the five commissioners seeking new terms.
So why would commissioners consider doing anything besides voting "no" when the project comes up for final consideration May 28?
Well, maybe their consciences will get the better of them. Maybe they'll look past all the fearmongering and misinformation that's been spread in an effort to kill the rehab center. Maybe they'll even realize that, over the long term, the community ― and the whole region, really ― could benefit from the work the center hopes to do.
The NIMBYs were out in full force
The Stuart City Commission held public hearings May 13 on the required land-use change and the specific request by Behavioral Health Centers to operate the facility.
It went about how one might expect. About a dozen residents spoke against the project, claiming it would attract addicts who would wash out of the treatment program and end up wandering the neighborhood's quiet streets. Surely, even more people would have been there to voice their opposition if the hearings hadn't stretched into the dinner hour.
To Michael Craig, a resident of the Willoughby Golf Club community, the choice for commissioners is obvious.
"Why does the city want this in our backyard?" Craig said. "Come on. Enough is enough. ... I ask you: Why are we even discussing this?"
If everyone took that attitude, there would be a lot more addicts in the world, placing an even greater burden on society than treatment centers would.
Not all of the speakers felt that way, though.
Karen Dodge, an affiliate scientist at the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University, told commissioners there are about 19,000 Martin County residents with unmet needs for substance abuse treatment.
James Gordon, a Boca Raton resident, briefly shared his story of overcoming an addiction to painkillers that he developed as a teenager.
Michael Gauger, retired chief deputy of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office who's running for sheriff there, offered a counterpoint to Snyder's position by touting the positive results he saw as a longtime board member at Fern House, a drug and alcohol treatment program in West Palm Beach.
"I recognized jails don't work," Gauger said, adding that addicts continue to burden the criminal justice system until they get straight and sober.
Understanding substance abuse could alleviate some fears
I have tons of respect for Snyder, but I wish he had talked more about the benefits of preventative treatment during his appearance before the commission.
Snyder's main objection seemed to be a sizable percentage of people from out of state might enter the treatment program, then remain in Martin County after leaving it.
It seems unlikely that someone from Cleveland or Phoenix is going to come all the way to Martin County to get treatment for addiction when other options are available closer to home, where their friends and families live.
More likely, any nonresidents would come from other parts of the Treasure Coast or other nearby communities.
If some patients do have the financial resources to travel here from out of state, that probably means they have resources to go back home if they decide treatment isn't working.
The notion people will give up on treatment, walk out the center's doors and immediately lapse into homelessness shows a lack of understanding about the progressive nature of substance abuse.
There's no way the program will reach a 100% success rate, but those who leave are most likely going to want to reconnect with their old lives. In any case, addicts seem unlikely to congregate around the one place in town where they know they won't be able to get a fix.
Even if some of the worst fears were true, with drug dealers lurking on nearby street corners, waiting for addicts to relapse, wouldn't that just make it a lot easier for Snyder and his deputies to catch them?
Alcohol and drugs claim more victims than we realize
Many of the residents' fears were based on assumptions patients undergoing treatment would be able to come and go as they please, which Jason Ackner, the proposed center's director, said would not be the case. Patients would generally remain on the property, under the watchful eyes of security, until their treatment programs were complete.
Ackner, CEO and founder of Behavioral Health Centers in Port St. Lucie, had an exasperated edge to his voice as he tried to knock down rumors and outright fallacies shared with commissioners about the center's operations.
"I hear a lot of people behind me snickering and making comments," Ackner said as he addressed the commission. "I don't know how many people behind me have lost loved ones. ... The face of addiction is the face of everyone in here."
By that, he meant alcohol and drug addiction can affect people from all walks of life. Most are not the hardened criminals neighbors seem to fear.
Following Ackner's presentation, he was subjected to a grilling from Commissioner Christopher Collins, who badgered and repeatedly interrupted Ackner like he was a criminal being cross-examined instead of a land-use applicant participating in what was supposed to be a neutral fact-finding hearing.
In January 2023, Collins wore his Christianity on his sleeve as he successfully advocated to start each commission meeting with a prayer. Compassion and a desire to help fellow human beings in need seemed to be missing from his approach to the drug and alcohol treatment center, though.
Time to try some compassion and empathy
A couple of weeks ago, when the TCPalm Editorial Board was discussing this issue, one of my colleagues asked me if I would be OK with someone putting a treatment center like the one that's been proposed in my own neighborhood. My answer was, and is, unequivocally yes.
I believe the imagery of addicts roaming the streets like animals escaped from the zoo is pure nonsense. I doubt people living in the neighborhood near this center would ever have to interact with any of the patients.
If they did, the residents might actually learn something. I have had the privilege ― and I do consider it a privilege ― of meeting many recovering alcohol and drug addicts over the course of my life. They are some of the most courageous people I know.
There's something about getting hit with a proverbial Mack truck that adds balance and perspective to people's lives and, frankly, makes them better human beings.
I hope commissioners will stop and think about that before they rush to the most politically expedient decision.
This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him via email at bfontenay@gannett.com or at 772-232-5424.
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