Michelle Salzman

In 2021, Salzman launched the Mental Health Task Force of Northwest Florida. "The Mental Health Task Force was created from an idea where I had just been reaching out to different hospital CEOs and what their take was on the issues with access to care when it comes to mental health in the community," said state Rep. Michelle Salzman (R–Pensacola).

She adds that one fact revealed was that none of the area's major hospital officials had sat down and talked collaboratively about mental health. Arrangements were made to bring together leaders from Baptist, Ascension-Sacred Heart, and West Florida hospitals. And it snowballed from there.

"We got them together and as we had conversations, more and more people were asked to be included at the first meeting at the table," she said. "So by the time the first meeting rolled around, we had 75 invitees and it was just a broad group of folks."[12]

In 2022, they raised private funds for a study among stakeholders to determine the gaps and develop a roadmap, and on May 19, 2023 they released their findings. The 67 page Strategic Plan and Roadmap Report was created by the Mental Health Task Force members and Earnest & Young. The study is focused on Optimizing the Continuum of Care and Building Capacity for the residents of Northwest Florida[13]

During the Mental Health Task Force meeting on September 12th, 2023, Salzman introduced a hired employee to the Mental Health Task Force that will drive their strategic plan as well as expanded the mission of the group.[14] They began discussions on what a Long-Term Care facility would look like, and how it could work, in Florida. They did not commit the Florida Panhandle to this task but instead took it from a broad viewpoint of how they would operate given there are not any long-term care facilities in the State. "Nowhere in Florida is there anything like this," Salzman said. "There has never been anything like what we're discussing. It will be transformational -- whoever does it, where ever it falls. If we are able to do it, it will transform not only that community but the state of Florida." Salzman says Floridians in need of long-term mental health help currently have to go out of state to get the care they need. "They're checking into these Baker Act facilities because they need that crisis care management," she said. "But those people really need a long-term care facility, they need a long-term care model. They need to be taught how to be self-sufficient."[15]

Salzman was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020 after defeating incumbent Republican Mike Hill in the primary. She was subsequently re-elected in 2022, defeating Hill in a primary rematch.[16][17]

In March 2021, Salzman was accused by Representative Omari Hardy of calling Representative Webster Barnaby the chamber's "token Black Republican."[18] Salzman vehemently denied making the remark stating "It's an absolute lie,".[18]

In February 2022, Salzman was recorded explaining why she would not co-sponsor a Constitutional Carry bill in the Florida Legislature. The bill, HB 103 (2022), was not assigned to be heard in any committees or voted on.[19] In the video, Representative Salzman stated the bill would pass during the 2023 Legislative Session. On January 30, 2023 HB-543 was filed with Salzman as a co-sponsor. The bill passed the Florida House and Senate and was signed into law on April 3, 2023.[20]She was accused of threatening the group that published the recording by asking for the name of the person who recorded it for Florida Capitol Police.[21]

In April 2021, Salzman was quoted as saying that the issue holding her back from prioritizing the cleanup of a toxic landfill in her district was that the surrounding residents were Democrats.[22] "They're Democrats. They vote Democrat," she said. "I put signs out in Wedgewood, and every time I put them out, the next day, they'd be gone. You know, my dad lives right there … we went through more signs in Wedgewood than anywhere, but there's just very few people that vote Republican over there." She continued, "So it's nothing about the environment, nothing about landfills, nothing like that. So not only is it not the people that don't vote for me, but it's also nothing in the priority list of what folks in District 1 said they wanted me to do as a state representative." However, Salzman said she had met four times with DEP on environmental issues. She repeated that she had talked with Commissioner May and wanted to be part of a solution. "My husband and I were chatting about it the other day, and I said it'd be nice if somebody could come in," said Salzman, "if the county could come in and invest the money over there. And then if we win the lawsuit, they can get the money back. Why do we have to wait to get the money to fix it? We know we need to fix it, whatever it is, because I think it's a compilation of just over time people just literally crapping on that community."

(2023)[23]

• Appropriations Committee
  • Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, Vice Chair
• Health & Human Services Committee, Republican Committee Whip
  • Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
• Rules Committee

(2024)[24]

• Appropriations Committee
  • Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee
• Health & Human Services Committee, Chair
  • Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
• Rules Committee