Wakulla County Coalition for Youth STOP Act 2026 - Project Abstract Wakulla County Coalition for Youth STOP Act Project Opportunity Number SP-26-001 The Wakulla County Coalition for Youth (WCCY), with fiscal agent Florida State University- Florida Center for Prevention Research, requests a 4-year STOP Act grant to expand our current Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support program to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth ages 12 to 20 in rural Wakulla County, Florida. Geographic Area and Capacity Need Wakulla County spans 736 square miles in the Florida Panhandle, with an estimated population of 38,089 as of July 1, 2025, qualifying as rural under Section 288.0656, Florida Statutes. The capacity need is substantial: county-level 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) data show Wakulla students exceed state averages on every alcohol indicator, including 30-day use (Wakulla 11.5% vs. state 6.7%, middle school; 28.7% vs. 15.5%, high school), while WCCY's current prevention infrastructure reaches only about 200 students annually. Population of Focus and Population Served The population of focus for capacity building is WCCY and its coalition membership. Direct prevention services will also reach middle and high school-aged youth (grades 6–12, ages 11–18) in the Wakulla County School District, where middle and high school students exceed state averages on every measured alcohol indicator. This will include approximately 2,531 of 5,134 total students; this is universal prevention, not treatment for a clinical diagnosis. Secondary populations include parents, caregivers, and educators. Strategies and Interventions The program builds on WCCY's Drug-Free Communities grant and applies the Strategic Prevention Framework and CADCA's Seven Strategies for Community Level Change: expanding Too Good for Drugs through a train-the-trainer model; engaging the Future Leaders of Wakulla youth advisory group in co-creating program activities; conducting a Capacity Assessment and Logic Model; strengthening coordination with local government and law enforcement on alcohol policy; convening annual Town Halls; and running a local communications campaign aligned with SAMHSA's Talk. They Hear You resources. Goals and Measurable Objectives Goal 1 is to build WCCY's capacity to implement and sustain evidence-based alcohol prevention services, advancing SAMHSA's Strategic Priority of partnership and coordination. Goal 2 is to prevent and reduce underage drinking through evidence-based programs, advancing SAMHSA's Strategic Priority of preventing substance use among youth. Objectives include training school personnel to deliver Too Good for Drugs to more than 1,200 students by Year 4, recruiting more than 4 new coalition members annually, and convening 1 Town Hall yearly. By Year 4, measured via an annual WCCY Youth Survey or FYSAS (if available), WCCY targets a 10% decrease in past 30-day alcohol use among 6 to 12th grade students, and a 10% increase in perceived risk of harm, parental disapproval, and peer disapproval, relative to the Year 1 baseline.
