EKB News

In April 2009, Florida lawmakers passed a law to help cut the pill pipeline coming from their state to Kentucky. Dan Smoot, director for Operation UNITE, says vanloads of people continue making the trip of 14 hours or more to South Florida clinics. It took many months for Florida officials, with the help of Kentucky leaders, to draw up specifications and seek proposals to implement the system. On December 21st, the state named an Alabama company the top bidder but the losing bidder plans to challenge that, further delaying the system. The Florida Department of Health says it doesn't expect to see the system up and running until June. The state got donations and grants to start the system, including $800,000 through a federal program named for U.S. Representative Harold "Hal" Rogers, but it would take about $500,000 a year to run after that. And, with the state facing a budget shortfall of more than $3 billion, it's not clear lawmakers will provide the money.