Lee County could get $161K from opioid settlement to fight addiction

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Lee County could soon receive additional funding to combat the opioid epidemic affecting Southwest Florida residents.

On Tuesday, Lee County commissioners approved joining a nationwide opioid epidemic settlement. Six regional distributors agreed to pay more than $97 million to local governments across the country for their role in fueling abuse and addiction.

The county says it's unclear how much of the money will be local. However, it's estimated Lee County could receive around $161,000.

Just outside Fort Myers, banners display the faces of those lost to overdoses at Kimmie's Recovery Zone. Among those who survived is Pedro Nunez, a veteran who served two tours in Iraq.

"I needed chaos that I could control, you know? I missed being overseas," Nunez said.

After returning from service, Nunez says opioids filled the void, putting him on the streets and then in jail.

"That mental war that was the hardest and toughest challenge I ever had to face, because the enemy was me," Nunez said.

Daniel Regan, CEO of Calusa Recovery in Fort Myers, believes the settlement money should support community-based programs.

"I think that it should be invested in grassroots organizations," Regan said.

Regan says the funding should go to groups like Kimmie's Recovery Zone, which provides transitional housing and job training for those in recovery.

"Recovery is possible, and we have to really help people through that system," said Al Kinkle of Kimmie's Recovery Zone.

Nunez received help at Kimmie's and Saint Matthew's House. Now, he helps others do the same.

"I love what I do today, you know, because today I'm a good person, and I'm only a good person today, because I once was not," Nunez said.