{"id":88523,"date":"2025-12-18T22:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/88523\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T22:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:22:11","slug":"desantis-proposed-budget-would-change-how-florida-cancer-centers-get-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/88523\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis’ proposed budget would change how Florida cancer centers get funds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ACredit: JHVEPhoto \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s eighth and final legislative budget makes another run at redirecting cancer funding in Florida, including jettisoning a requirement that funds be awarded only to peer-reviewed projects and empowering an eight-member \u201ccollaborative\u201d to direct how the state spends hundreds of millions of dollars on cancer care and research.<\/p>\n

The push by the governor is likely to spark another largely behind-the-scenes battle among those who rely on the state money to help with their research programs.<\/p>\n

Specifically, DeSantis\u2019s\u00a0proposed budget<\/a>\u00a0eliminates a decade-old law that spells out how $127 million should be distributed to four National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated facilities: Moffitt Cancer Center; University of Florida Health Cancer Center; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.<\/p>\n

Instead, the governor\u2019s budget would empower the\u00a0Cancer Connect Collaborative<\/a>\u00a0to distribute the money to all cancer providers, with a requirement that at least 60% continues to be spent on the four NCI facilities.\u00a0NCI is the federal government\u2019s principal agency for cancer research and training. There are 72 NCI-designated facilities nationwide.<\/p>\n

The collaborative, established in law in 2024, is a group of eight people \u2014 three appointed by the governor, two by the Senate president, and two by the speaker of the House.<\/p>\n

Lobbyists representing the four NCI facilities did not immediately respond to Florida Phoenix\u2019s request for comment on the proposal.\u00a0But representatives of the four facilities testified against a similar plan in a House Health Care Budget Subcommittee\u00a0earlier this year.<\/a><\/p>\n

John Cleveland, Moffitt\u2019s executive vice president, director, and scientific officer, told members of the House House\u00a0Health Care Budget Subcommittee in February that NCI facilities have recruited 980 premier investigators since the Legislature created the program in 2014 and has helped changed cancer care in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida used to be a state where you flew to New York City or Boston to get your (cancer) care. No longer,\u201d Cleveland said. \u201cSo, now they actually want to stay in the state. And I think that\u2019s super important \u2014 we have to support our citizens. Having them get on a plane to get their care up in other states is just ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida has the second highest cancer burden in the nation. Between 2021 and 2023, the total number of cancer deaths in Florida was 140,955, according to the Florida Department of Health (DOH).<\/p>\n

Former Gov. Rick Scott championed the NCI program, which was passed by the Legislature in 2014. Lawmakers pumped\u00a0an additional $37million into the program<\/a>\u00a0in 2022 and renamed it the Casey DeSantis Research Funds.<\/p>\n

Cancer innovation and incubator funds<\/p>\n

The DeSantis administration first tried to steer funding away from NCI facilities to additional providers during the 2024 session and again in 2025.<\/p>\n

The DOH issued a\u00a0long-range report in 2024<\/a>\u00a0noting that restricting the funding to NCI facilities\u00a0\u201climits funding accessibility for other cancer facilities and research institutions across Florida, including those in rural or underserved areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the Legislature refused to go along with the changes, lawmakers did agree to create and fund two new cancer grant programs: the Cancer Innovation Fund in 2024 and the Cancer Incubator in 2025.<\/p>\n

There is $60 million available in Cancer Innovation Fund and $30 million in the Cancer Incubator program, which is directed toward research at children\u2019s specialty hospitals<\/p>\n

The cancer collaborative oversees both grant programs and is charged with making recommendations to the DOH, which awards the grants.<\/p>\n

The governor announced in November that four pediatric hospitals were each receiving $7.5 million grants:\u00a0Nicklaus Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>\u00a0in Miami;\u00a0John\u2019s Hopkins All Children\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Hospital in Tampa;\u00a0Wolfson Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>\u00a0in Jacksonville; and\u00a0Nemours Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>\u00a0in Orlando.<\/p>\n

Statutes require that proposals for both the Innovation Fund and the Cancer Incubator program are \u201cappropriate and are evaluated fairly on the basis of scientific merit.\u201d To that end, the law requires the DOH to appoint peer review panels of independent, scientifically qualified individuals to review and score the merit of each proposal.<\/p>\n

DeSantis\u2019s proposed budget eliminates the requirement that grants for either fund be peer reviewed.<\/p>\n

Florida Phoenix<\/a> is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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