Floridians Could Have Gotten $120 to Help Feed Their Kids. The State Wasn’t Interested.
BY ALYSSA JOHNSON UPDATED JANUARY 22, 2024 9:39 AM
Over the summer, needy families around the country will receive debit cards from the federal
government to help feed hungry kids. But not in Florida, where the state opted out of a new
federal program to provide grocery-store money for low-income families.
Under the program, called Summer EBT, families would have been able to apply to receive
$120 for each eligible child. Congress approved the program in December 2022 to help feed
children who receive free and reduced-price lunches at school during the summer months,
when many campuses are closed or access is limited.
The deadline to apply was Jan. 1. Florida was one of 15 states that chose not to participate.
The state’s disinterest means the families of an estimated 2.1 million children who would have
been eligible for the program won’t receive the additional help paying for grocery bills at a time
when inflation continues to drive up food prices. In Florida, Miami and Tampa continue to see
the highest rates of inflation in the country, with prices on average up more than 5% compared
to last year.
While prices aren’t increasing as quickly as they were 18 months ago, Cindy Huddleston, a
senior policy analyst at the Florida Policy Institute, said that inflation continues to make it harder
for low-income families to feed everyone in their household.
“People are facing really increased prices at the grocery stores that have not really waned much
in the last few months, so getting food on the table can be a struggle for a lot of families,” said
Huddleston.
When asked why the state opted out of the program, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ team forwarded the
request for comment to Mallory McManus, a spokeswoman for the Department of Children and
Families. Neither office gave a response.
McManus previously told the Orlando Sentinel that Florida chose not to participate in Summer
EBT because its current programs are sufficient.
“We anticipate that our state’s full approach to serving children will continue to be successful
this year without any additional federal programs that inherently always come with some federal
strings attached,” said McManus.
Summer EBT does require that states share half of the administrative costs for the program with
the federal government, but Huddleston said that the overall economic and social benefit would
greatly outweigh the administrative costs. Huddleston said that the state choosing to not participate in Summer EBT causes Florida to lose between $388 million and $466 million in
economic impact, since the program would have families buy from local food sellers.
“So kids aren’t the only ones who lose out when we don’t participate in the program — local
economies, local grocery stores, farmer markets … we’re all losers,” she said.
HELP WITH HUNGER
While the state says its food programs are sufficient enough to successfully meet the needs of
Florida’s hungry children, organizations that work closely with low-income families say that the
state’s programs alone can’t always reach everyone in need.
Robin Safley, executive director of Feeding Florida, a statewide network of food banks, said that
the state’s summer food program — called Summer BreakSpot, which provides meals to
children during the summertime — is only reaching about 10% of kids in Florida that are eligible
for free or reduced lunch.
“A lot of the families that we serve may struggle with transportation. Especially during the
summer where parents are still working multiple jobs, trying to make ends meet and the child
doesn’t have the ability to get to a summer feeding site,” said Safley.
The food bank organization provided 404 million pounds of food to families in need last fiscal
year, according to their website, and Safley says the demand for food hasn’t decreased. If the
state chooses to opt into Summer EBT in the future, she said it would be valuable for those who
are struggling to put food on the table.
“It definitely hits a niche because it’s going directly to the family for them to go into the
marketplace and purchase their own food and that family unit then doesn’t have to go find a
summer feeding spot … it would be an incredibly beneficial tool,” said Safley.
Echoing Safley, Malika Rushdan, a director at ICNA Relief, which provides services like hunger
prevention to people across the country and has food pantries in Florida, said that many
summer lunch programs in the U.S have limitations. Rushdan also said that factors like stigma
and limited food options are also a problem with current summer food programs.
“There’s no choice. You have what they give you and most are grateful for that but it’s still not
the same as being able to walk into a grocery store and buy what you need,” said Rushdan.
THERE’S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR
Other Republican states like Florida have also decided not to participate in Summer EBT. Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds, a close ally of DeSantis, is among those who rejected funds from the
program, which she criticized for not having a “strong nutrition focus.” Other governors raised
concerns about the program’s administrative costs, saying the program amounted to “welfare.”
To Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, it is “troubling” to see Republican governors shut out a
federal fund intended to help needy families during the summer months for what she says are
ideological reasons.
“We already have situations where a lot of children go hungry and here we have an opportunity
to get federal funds, which are our tax dollars, and our governor is declining that federal aid for
purely political reasons,” Berman said.
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she expects there will be conversations
in the future to see if the state needs to take any action as a result of opting out of the federal
program. But as of now, she does not foresee any problems. “I think that is something that is a
discussion that we are going to need to have,” Passidomo said.
While families in the state will miss out on Summer EBT this year, the state does have a chance
to opt into the program for 2025.
“Those that do not launch the program this summer will have future opportunities to opt-in, and
we will keep working with every state and tribe to set them up for success in doing so. Working
with future implementers is a top priority,” said a USDA spokesperson in an email to the Herald.
Herald/Times Tallahassee staff writer Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.