![\"Governor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSCN6831-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGovernor Ron DeSantis in Tampa \/\/ Chris Young, WMNF News, 5\/12\/2025<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGovernor Ron DeSantis in Tampa \/\/ Chris Young, WMNF News, 5\/12\/2025<\/p>\n
During a press conference in Tampa yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Florida upcoming changes to the state\u2019s safety net. <\/p>\n
He said Florida is working to set new restrictions on EBT cards and the state\u2019s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud to announce that Florida will be the first state in the nation to restrict temporary cash assistance benefits from being used for inappropriate and non-essential purchases,\u201d DeSantis said.<\/p>\n
Among the restrictions are the purchase of entertainment tickets, tattoos, tobacco and vaping products, adult material, video games, theme park subscriptions and similar \u201cluxury services.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeSantis claimed these restrictions aimed to reduce fraud and support a \u201cpathway to self-sufficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are grants for folks who sometimes through no fault of their own, have fallen hard on their luck. And it\u2019s part of having a safety net, so people don\u2019t fall through the cracks,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cBut it\u2019s also the case that money should be going to things that are really essential.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the state has been working with the federal government to implement these restrictions.<\/p>\n
The changes to TANF and EBT cards come soon after Florida tried to limit food stamp purchases<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida has already successfully implemented a similar policy change through Healthy SNAP. It launched in April to better align allowable purchases with the program\u2019s nutritional purpose,\u201d said Kate Williams. She is the interim Secretary for the state\u2019s department of children and families. \u201cWe have already restricted SNAP benefits from being used to purchase soda, candy, energy drinks, and ultra-processed prepared desserts.\u201d<\/p>\n
In June, a federal judge reversed those changes.<\/p>\n
A month later, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report warning SNAP is facing its fastest decline in decades.<\/p>\n
Some organizations claim the increase in restrictions to food and cash assistance programs can reinforce stigma against recipients and deter enrollment, leading to a growing \u201chunger crisis.\u201d There is no timeline yet for when the restrictions would begin.<\/p>\n
But eligibility and benefit amounts remain the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies do not need to take any action at this time,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey can expect advanced notice and communication from the department explaining when the restrictions will take effect and exactly what they can expect. Families will continue to be able to use their benefits for everyday necessities, including fresh produce at a farmer\u2019s market or a grocery store, medicine at a pharmacy, and clothing and other essential items for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n
The state is still awaiting federal authorization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Governor Ron DeSantis in Tampa \/\/ Chris Young, WMNF News, 5\/12\/2025 During a press conference in Tampa yesterday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[30415,135,137,136],"class_list":["post-383967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-news-and-public-affairs","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}