- September 14, 2024
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Renee DeAngelis, Monique Myers, Jesse Nuss and Anna Tossel. Photo courtesy of Tressie Paytas
At the Walk Over the Bridge event: Tressie Paytas walking in honor of her son Tim; Monique Myers walking in honor of her brother Randall; Meg Parker walking in honor of her son Daniel. Photo courtesy of Tressie Paytas
Participants at the annual Walk Over the Bridge event for International Overdose Awareness Day. Photo courtesy of Tressie Paytas
As Flagler County continues have high overdose rates, local residents are continuing their mission to raise awareness on the issue.
The Flagler County Drug Court Foundation sponsored the annual Walk Over the Bridge event in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. Volunteer Renee DeAngelis said around 30 people showed up at Wadsworth Park and walked across the State Road 100 bridge.
“I think last year we had a couple more, but it wasn't bad,” DeAngelis said. “…We feel like it's our mission to kind of have almost a grassroots effort of informing the community about drug awareness, drug overdose and especially fentanyl.”
DeAngelis has worked with the Drug Court Foundation and the Flagler County Opioid Task Force since 2018 educating the community about Narcan and the addiction problem.
And it is not just about those with drug addictions anymore, she said: children experimenting with drugs from the streets — which can begin in even middle-school aged children — could be exposed to a drug mixed with fentanyl. And just one pill with fentanyl could mean a fatal overdose, DeAngelis said.
Michael Feldbauer, the president of the Flagler County Drug Court Foundation, said that in the last five years up to 2022, based on population, Flagler County has hovered between the second and 10th highest overdose county in the state of Florida. That
“The importance of these types of events is to give people that have been through the experience a chance to vent, to talk, but also to educate our community and what's going on,” Feldbauer said.
Feldbauer said the Drug Court needs more help to raise awareness, whether that’s by helping people with drug addiction by providing local detox resources, or even educating more children in schools about the dangers of street drugs. Everyone has a special gift they can use to help if they choose to get involved.
“In my opinion, we have to wake up our county and say, ‘Hey, we need more to help our people,’” he said.
