Initiatives underway in Lee to help at-risk juveniles

Two new initiatives to keep Lee County kids out of trouble are taking shape after a hard-fought battle in the state Legislature.

Nearly $700,000 in state money will go to keep local juvenile offenders from being committed to detention facilities, by sending them to "diversion" programs. They include family counseling, mental health treatment, domestic violence counseling and an intensive probation program to keep kids from breaking the law again.

The budget passed by the Legislature also included $175,000 for substance abuse treatment, but that was line-item vetoed by Gov. Jeb Bush.

Also getting the go-ahead is a new center for girls that has had success throughout Florida, including in Immokalee.

Approximately $240,000 will go to help start a PACE center in Lee County, a combination school and social service center for girls at risk of dropping out or getting in trouble with the law. Local organizers are already looking for staff and a place to locate the center, but also must raise an equivalent amount to get underway for a 2007 opening.

There is a drawback to both the diversion programs and the PACE center, organizers say. The cash is all a one-time expense, meaning advocates will have to return to Tallahassee next spring to persuade legislators to make the programs permanent.