TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As administrators of Florida's state prison system prepare to slash funding for substance abuse and mental health treatment programs in order to bridge a budget deficit, drug abuse prevention advocates are calling on Gov. Rick Scott to step in.

• Group calling on Gov. Scott to invoke executive authority
• Planned cuts include $7.6 million to inmate programs
• Scott so far has declined to address funding issue

The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association wants Scott to invoke his "executive authority" to order a one-time sweep of the state's reserve fund in order to forestall the cuts, which are set to take effect Friday.

"Without treatment, inmates and probationers are at higher risk to commit crimes and use drugs, undoing the progress Florida has made over the last 15 years in reducing recidivism rates and lowering the prison population. While these cuts may look like a quick fix to a current budget shortfall, in reality they will only exacerbate the problem, forcing the (Department of Corrections) to spend more on inmates coming back into the system," the association wrote in a letter it sent the governor Monday.

Of the $28 million in planned cuts, $7.6 million would affect inmate substance abuse programs. There would be $6 million less for therapeutic bed facilities that separate inmates undergoing drug treatment from the rest of the prison population, and treatment programs catering to inmates who have been released and are on probation or parole would be slashed by $9.1 million - a 40 percent reduction.

During the 2018 legislative session, corrections officials had warned lawmakers the state budget prepared by Republican leaders didn't adequately address the needs of Florida's already-troubled prison system. Scott's request for a $169 million increase in funding for the Department of Corrections was largely ignored, forcing the agency to make more than $20 million in immediate cutbacks.

The reductions slated for Friday would come on top of those.

The governor, however, has so far declined to address the funding issue beyond needling his fellow Republicans in Tallahassee.

"The process is, I get to propose a budget and then the legislature decides what they're going to put into it," Scott told reporters Tuesday. "The Department of Corrections is working hard, the recidivism rate is down, as you know, our crime rate is down, but I'm disappointed the legislature didn't fund all of it."

And while legislative leaders have the option of calling a special session to address the prison funding crisis, such a move seems unlikely as campaign season heats up. Last week, House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Land O'Lakes) pointed his finger squarely at his Senate counterparts.

"All of the negotiations, all of the offers back and forth, the House's position was clear," Corcoran said.

The cuts, then, could be unavoidable. Some lawmakers have suggested reversing them during the 2019 legislative session, but FADAA warns irreversible harm will almost certainly come to pass before then. 

"Without your help, thousands of individuals will be left struggling for support while hundreds of others will find themselves unemployed," the association wrote Scott.