The reality is that some families in Florida are in desperate need of food.
Despite the need, Florida is among the states not participating in a new federal benefit called ‘SUN Bucks’ – or Summer EBT – which provides eligible families $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer.
While the state would have had to cover 50% of the administrative costs, the benefit itself is federally funded. The USDA estimates more than 2 million kids in Florida would be eligible, totaling more than $250 million in benefits.
More than 150 organizations from across the state have now signed a letter to Governor Desantis and the secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, urging the state to participate in the program next summer.
Lakeland Gazette reached out to DCF and the governor’s office to ask if the state would take part in Summer EBT next year, and who exactly would make that decision.
“As a state, we are dedicated to making sure children have access to nutritious meals. This takes a whole of government approach that includes free and reduced lunch programs at school, providing SNAP benefits to families who qualify, and through summer break spot programs administered by FDACS. Over the past ten years, these programs have been remarkably successful,” a DCF spokesperson wrote in an email. “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.”
Lakeland Gazette is still waiting for a response from the governor’s office.