Sec. 84.101. - Purpose.

The City of Jacksonville, as well as the entire State of Florida, has experienced the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic which arose as a result of the manufacture, distribution, and over-prescribing of opioid analgesics and resulted in opioid overdoses, addictions, and in many cases, death. In response to this epidemic, and to hold manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids accountable for their respective contributions to the opioid crisis, the State of Florida filed an action in Pasco County, Florida, and a number of Florida cities and counties, including the City of Jacksonville, also filed an action In re: National Opiate Litigation , MDL No. 2804 (N.D. Ohio) (the "Opioid Litigation") seeking damages resulting from the opioid epidemic. As a result of the Opioid Litigation, the defendants to said actions agreed to payment of certain proceeds in settlement of the various claims (the "Opioid Settlement Proceeds"), much of which will be distributed over multiple years as part of a global settlement. The City of Jacksonville has entered into the Florida Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Florida (the "MOU") as authorized by Ordinance 2021-659-E, which sets forth the framework of a unified plan for the proposed allocation and use of the Opioid Settlement Proceeds. As part of the settlement, the City of Jacksonville will receive an estimated $80,000,000 over the course of approximately 18 years. (Ord. 2023-350-E , § 2)