TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis held a news conference in Tallahassee Tuesday morning to announce a new partnership between the Hope Florida program and all 67 sheriff’s offices across the state.
Press play above to watch the announcement
The governor and the first lady said that thanks to this partnership, all 67 Florida sheriff’s offices will now have a dedicated person on staff who acts as a point of contact between the sheriff’s office and Hope Florida, who will serve as a trained expert in the program and resources available.
“It’s going to help many more Floridians in need, connect with those in Florida who can help. We are proud of the work that our law enforcement officers are doing as ambassadors of Hope Florida, to equip, inform and assist members of the public and connecting them with Hope navigators,” Ron DeSantis said.
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Spearheaded by Casey DeSantis, the Hope Florida program aims to foster community collaboration between the public and private sector, faith-based communities and nonprofits to break down barriers and better help people in need.
“How do we truly help somebody out of a culture of dependency on a pathway to economic self-sufficiency, hope and at the end of the day, happiness? If we as government have the opportunity to be able to provide happiness for somebody, we have an obligation if they want to take that path, to do everything we can to support them,” the first lady said on Tuesday.
In the two years since Hope Florida’s launch in July 2022, nearly 30,000 Floridians have reduced their reliance upon or are no longer reliant on government assistance — a reduction that is estimated to save the state nearly $800 million over the next decade, DeSantis said.
Floridians who are in need of support can connect with Hope Florida by visiting www.HopeFlorida.com or calling the Hope Line (833-GET-HOPE). Organizations interested in joining Hope Florida’s CarePortal can visit www.hopeflorida.com/.
