Lawmakers take on the future of Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida

A Senate panel OK’d a bill to permanently make Hope Florida — an initiative spurred by First Lady Casey DeSantis — a permanent part of state government as the program’s future remains in question.

The bill would codify the Office of Hope Florida within the Governor’s Office.

“I was proud to bring this forward and make sure that this great program continues on in statute, so that it can continue to change lives,” said Sen. Danny Burgess, the Zephyrhills Republican who sponsored SB 1144.

The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee voted 6-1 in favor of it during the bill’s first committee stop. Sen. Tina Scott Polsky, a Boynton Beach Democrat, was the lone vote against it. Sen. Kristen Arrington, a Kissimmee Democrat, joined Republicans in support.

The outcome of Hope Florida during this Legislative Session is another intriguing political question to follow, as Casey DeSantis’ name has been floated in the race to replace her term-limited husband. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders have also been at odds with each other this year.

Casey DeSantis started Hope Florida in 2021. It has a toll-free phone number, website and case management system to help single parents, young people aging out of foster care, veterans and others in need. Hope Florida connects people with religious organizations, nonprofits, governments and the private sector.

“The Hope hotline has been very active and very much ready to meet the needs of individuals. I think there’s over 67,000 calls that have come through, and they’ve been able to provide support for at least half of those individuals,” Burgess said during Tuesday afternoon’s debate. “That has been absolutely life-changing.”

Burgess’ bill does not appropriate any state funding to Hope Florida. But the staff analysis for the House bill pointed out that the “Governor’s Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 includes four full-time positions and $536,792 in General Revenue, of which $21,728 is nonrecurring, to establish the Hope Florida Office.” Meanwhile, the proposed House budget did not set any money aside for Hope Florida.

Questions exist about how many resources the state is putting into Hope Florida.

“The number of FTEs (full-time equivalents) in state agencies working on Hope Florida functions, and the extent any preexisting FTEs were repurposed for Hope Florida functions, are unknown,” the House analysis said for HB 1327 sponsored by Republican Rep. Anne Gerwig.

“Similarly, the extent to which participating state agencies have entered into contracts for goods or services to further the Hope Florida mission is also unknown.”

The Department of Children and Families made Hope Florida a direct support organization in 2023, but failed to do basic reporting, including publishing the 990 tax form on its website, the House analysis said.

“We’re looking to codify it so that it will go on, I guess, beyond this particular administration,” Polsky said, bringing up the auditing concerns and lack of transparency. “So we just want to make sure that this is run the way it’s supposed to be, so that in the future will run properly.”

Burgess declined to address the House staff analysis as he defended Hope Florida. He said that while Hope Florida has a similar mission to serve like the 211 crisis center, it was still unique. Democrats, however, asked if Hope Florida is duplicating resources.

“This is a hotline with endless possibilities,” Burgess replied.

Casey DeSantis joined her husband and several county Sheriffs on a Hope Florida publicity tour in Tallahassee Tuesday, several hours before the vote.

“When somebody is in need of help, do you get a check for government assistance, and that’s where the story ends? Or can we help you on a pathway to economic self-sufficiency?” she said. “Can we provide you with a lifeline of hope at the end of the day?”

The next stop for Burgess’ bill is the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services and the Appropriations Committee.