TAMPA, Fla. – On Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the Sunshine State will become the first in the country to amend its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State Plan.
In a release, DeSantis’ office unveiled the “first-in-the-nation restrictions,” which prohibit Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) benefits from being used to directly purchase “inappropriate, luxury and non-essential items.”
Under the amended plan, state officials said that TCA benefits may not be used to directly purchase any of the following:
Tobacco, nicotine and vaping products
Drugs and intoxicants
Pornography
Video games, entertainment tickets, theme park admission and entertainment subscriptions
Tattoos, spa services, tanning, and other luxury services
Psychic and fortune-telling services
WHAT ARE TCA BENEFITS?
TCA benefits are issued through EBT cards to help eligible families pay for ongoing basic needs, such as food, clothing, housing, utilities, household goods and personal care.
State officials said that the average household receiving TCA gets around $250 per month, though Florida also uses TANF funds to support the Relative Caregiver Program. That currently provides help to relatives caring for over 4,000 children statewide.
“Temporary Cash Assistance is designed to provide families with flexibility during times of need, and these commonsense changes preserve that flexibility while strengthening the integrity of the program,” said DCF Interim Secretary Kate Williams. “Under Gov. DeSantis’ leadership, Florida continues to ensure government assistance serves as a bridge to greater stability and independence while safeguarding taxpayer resources.”
CURRENT PROHIBITIONS
The newly prohibited goods and services aren’t the only restrictions to the state’s welfare programs.
Florida already prohibits EBT card use or acceptance for the following:
Alcohol purchases at adult entertainment establishments
Pari-mutuel wagering facilities
Slot machine facilities
Commercial bingo establishments
Casinos or gambling facilities
While Florida’s EBT vendor blocks transactions at these businesses and ATM transactions at prohibited locations, the new policy expands these controls to the other items and services at eligible retailers.
SNAP RESTRICTIONS
According to state officials, the new restrictions align the TCA with Florida’s Healthy SNAP initiative.
Since April, SNAP benefits in Florida may no longer be used to buy soda, energy drinks, candy or other ultra-processed prepared desserts.
[RELATED: Florida bans these foods from SNAP program]
Officials added that the new restrictions will be implemented in phases, beginning with SNAP-authorized retailers and expanding transaction-level controls to other prohibited products and services.
“Florida has become the first in the nation to set guardrails on our TANF State Plan to stop these taxpayer-funded benefits from being used to purchase inappropriate, luxury, and non-essential goods and services. Taxpayer-funded assistance should help families put food on the table, keep the lights on, purchase clothing, provide for their children and overcome barriers on the path toward independence,” DeSantis said. “We will continue supporting Floridians who genuinely need assistance, while working to improve accountability and transparency so that these programs operate as intended.”
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