LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced that the Department of Education is working on a new pilot program that aims to identify and train a Hope Florida liaison to serve at select school districts.
During a news conference in Lake County, the governor said the liaison will serve as a dedicated person on staff who can act as a point of contact for Hope Florida resources for students, parents and staff.
“The liaison will be able to connect local community providers, charities, and faith-based organizations that are active within their school community with the Hope line, if they can help support those who reach out to Hope Florida,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said Orange County was the first school district to identify and train a liaison. Lake County will be the second district to include this program.
According to a release, to date, more than 120,000 Floridians have been referred to Hope Florida, and 30,000 Floridians have reduced or completely eliminated their reliance on public assistance.
Hope Florida, a charity spearheaded by Casey DeSantis, has been under scrutiny for the last month over a $10 million donation from Centene, the state’s largest Medicaid managed care operator.
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Last week, the governor specifically addressed the recent report by the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald that said last year’s $10 million donation was part of a Medicaid settlement that owed millions of dollars to state and federal taxpayers.
House lawmakers also said last week they were ending their investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation after the Hope Florida Foundation’s lawyer, Jeff Aaron, and leaders of nonprofits that received $5 million grants from the foundation refused to appear before the panel.
On Wednesday, DeSantis said it was “all political.”
“People smear what they fear,” DeSantis said.
Although Ron DeSantis has been addressing the controversy at multiple news conferences, Casey DeSantis, who is reportedly considering running for governor, has not addressed the matter.