DeSantis said every sheriff has a Hope Florida expert. That's news to some sheriffs
Gov. Ron DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis led a news conference in Tallahassee on April 1 to announce that trained Hope Florida liaisons were in every sheriff's office.
The DeSantises, flanked by uniformed sheriffs and deputies in the state Capitol, touted the liaisons as dedicated conduits between the program and law enforcement. The governor said each one 'serves as a trained expert in Hope Florida' who can educate others 'on the philosophy and functions' of the first lady's signature initiative.
'To have cooperation from all 67 counties across the state of Florida is really special,' Casey DeSantis told reporters.
But 13 sheriff's offices — including some of Florida's largest agencies — told the Tampa Bay Times that they have no such experts. When asked about their work with Hope Florida, the agencies said they'd had little interaction beyond providing a contact name after they were asked to do so by the Florida Sheriff's Association.
'We're not actively engaged in anything with Hope Florida,' Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said when asked last week.
The discrepancies come as lawmakers have recently begun to question the scope and effectiveness of the program's work.
The Hope Florida initiative, announced by the first lady in 2021, aims to get people in need off government services and connected with community resources like charities and religious groups.
DeSantis Deputy Press Secretary Molly Best said that liaisons 'have been identified' in each sheriff's agency and training 'is well underway.'
At least three sheriff's offices that responded to the Times' inquiry — in Brevard, Volusia and Pasco — say they have staff trained on understanding Hope Florida and how to work with the program.
Best referred questions to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A spokesperson there said video trainings are being produced and materials are being shared with police agencies and sheriff's offices.
'We are working our way through each of Florida's sheriff's agencies,' spokesperson Gatlin Nennstiel told the Times in an email nearly a month after the DeSantises' announcement, adding that trainings are being held the first Friday of each month. He didn't say when the monthly sessions started.
Several sheriff's agencies said they weren't aware of any ongoing trainings and hadn't received materials. Two said the Florida Sheriff's Association contacted them this week about joining a training on Friday morning, days after a Times reporter sent questions to law enforcement around the state.
A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement this week that the agency could not find anyone internally with information about the program and has 'no indication that anyone has reached out to us yet about this.'
The Hope Florida program has come under scrutiny in recent months after Gov. DeSantis pushed to have an Office of Hope Florida enshrined within the governor's office. Lawmakers began asking questions about the program, particularly related to $10 million that the state steered to a separate charity created to support Hope Florida.
Herald/Times reporters revealed the $10 million was part of a settlement with a state Medicaid contractor. The Hope Florida Foundation gave the money to two nonprofit groups. Those groups then gave $8.5 million to a political committee overseen by DeSantis' then-chief of staff, James Uthmeier.
As lawmakers mulled the program, the Florida Sheriff's Association on March 19 organized a virtual meeting for sheriff's offices to hear about Hope Florida, records show.
Several sheriff agencies said the meeting, which included representatives from the governor's office, wasn't a training. Nennstiel disagreed, saying that it was a training led by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
During the meeting, each sheriff's office was asked to provide a future point of contact for the initiative. Records obtained by the Times show that the association shared a list of those Hope Florida contacts with sheriffs' agencies on March 27, writing that the program would 'send communications or call from time to time.'
Five days later, the DeSantises announced that there were trained liaisons in every sheriff's office.
At the news conference, the governor pointed out that Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, president of the Florida Sheriff's Association, was there in support. But more than three weeks later, a spokesperson for the Charlotte County Sheriff said the agency had a liaison appointed in March but hasn't been contacted. The spokesperson added that the agency is 'anxiously awaiting further direction from Hope as it sounds like a great program.'
Captain Chris Simms at the Alachua County Sheriff's Office said in an email to the Times that he has not received any training or gotten other information since he was made a point of contact.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Teri Barbera, when reached by phone April 25, initially said she wasn't aware of Hope Florida or what it does. After speaking with the office's point of contact, Barbera said the agency 'has not heard from anybody at Hope Florida yet.'
A spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on April 25 said the initiative 'is still in the early phases of development.'
Nennstiel referred the Times to sheriff's offices in Indian River, Brevard, Volusia, St. Lucie and Levy counties.
A Volusia County sheriff spokesperson said the agency has been working with Hope Florida since 2023 to help connect 74 families to food, clothing, toiletries, gas cards, bus passes, baby supplies, temporary housing, substance use services and more. The agency said Hope Florida has the records of the referrals.
A Brevard County Sheriff's spokesperson said in an email that the agency has a Hope Florida liaison who 'is performing those roles described in the Governor's Press Release.' The spokesperson did not answer follow-up questions about training.
The Levy County Sheriff's Office did not respond.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office also said it's been working with Hope Florida through the Department of Children and Families since 2023 to refer people to community services. The agency said the Department of Children and Families — which has spearheaded Hope Florida — would have records of the referrals.
Two sheriff's agencies that Nennstiel referred the Times to — Indian River and St. Lucie — said last month that there were liaisons at their offices. But they weren't aware of any official training. And they said they wouldn't consider them experts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
People Are Saying This Bizarre Clip Of Elon Musk Playing With Forks Looks Like He's "Tripping On Ketamine," And Elon Is NOT Happy
A resurfaced video of Elon Musk playing with cutlery has caused him to freak the fork out. The throwback clip — that was shot in March during a visit to President Donald Trump's Bedminster golf club in New Jersey — shows the tech billionaire balancing a contraption he made out of spoons while seated in a formal dining room. As Musk fixates on his little silverware sculpture, one of his baby mamas, Shivon Zilis, silently watches him as she sways in her seat. At the time, an X user tweeted the clip with the caption: 'Musk playing with his silverware while tripping on ketamine at Bedminster.' @Mollyploofkins / X / Via Over the weekend, The New York Times published a report accusing Musk of using drugs while acting as the de facto head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, prompting the rumor mill to spin out of control on social media. In an attempt to quell the mounting speculation about Musk's alleged drug abuse, a fan of the Tesla CEO decided to defend him in the weirdest way possible. The fan took to X, formerly Twitter, and retweeted the above post about Musk — with its accusatory caption and bonkers footage — and wrote: 'You don't need ketamine to make these. I always make them,' the user said in an attempt to normalize the behavior. Related: A Republican's Response To A "Tax The Rich" Chant At His Town Hall Is Going Viral The same user later added: 'Making cutlery towers isn't evidence that someone's on drugs. You could take an identical video of me at a dinner.' Related: "I Am So Torn With What You Are Doing" — 11 Posts From MAGA Business Owners Who Are So Close To Getting It It doesn't seem like Musk was thrilled about this clip and its caption making the rounds on his social media platform again, either. 'I'm not on ketamine ffs [for fuck's sake],' Musk snapped in the comments of his defender's tweet. Musk has admitted in the past to taking ketamine to help with depression, with the caveat that it's a 'prescription,' and that he uses a 'small amount' to treat depression. The Times' report published over the weekend says otherwise. Although it's unclear if Musk was doing drugs while working as a 'special government employee,' sources close to Musk told the outlet that in July 2024, the eccentric mogul was taking enough ketamine to cause bladder problems, which the Times notes is a common side effect of chronic use. The report also alleges that Musk is a fan of Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. 'And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it,' the Times wrote. The Times also notes that ketamine could be prescribed as an antidepressant. But the Food and Drug Administration has warned against it, saying the risks are 'abuse and misuse, psychiatric events, increases in blood pressure, respiratory depression (slowed breathing), and lower urinary tract and bladder symptoms.' An Atlantic article describing the drug's effects on the body found that ketamine use could also lead to impaired cognition, including 'delusional thinking, superstitious beliefs, and a sense of specialness and importance.' This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: People Can't Believe This "Disgusting" Donald Trump Jr. Post About Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Is Real Also in In the News: Miss USA's 2024 "National Costume" Has Been Revealed, And It's Obviously An Interesting Choice Also in In the News: One Body Language Expert Spotted Something Very Telling When Donald Trump "Held His Own Hand" At His Recent Press Conference
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Federal judge blocks Florida from enforcing social media ban for kids
A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking portions of the law from taking effect. The measure was one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. on social media use by children when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law in 2024. The law would ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for their use by 14- and 15-year-olds. In his order granting the preliminary injunction sought by the groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, Walker wrote that the law is "likely unconstitutional," but acknowledged that parents and lawmakers have "sincere concerns" about social media's effects on kids. Walker wrote that the prohibition on social media platforms from allowing certain age groups to create accounts "directly burdens those youths' rights to engage in and access speech." While siding with the industry groups' claims that the law limits free speech, Walker allowed a provision to go into effect requiring platforms to shut down accounts for children under 16, if their parent or guardian requests it. Parents - and even some teens themselves - are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the Florida law have said it's needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Matt Schruers, the president and CEO of the industry association CCIA, praised the judge's order blocking the law. "This ruling vindicates our argument that Florida's statute violates the First Amendment by blocking and restricting minors - and likely adults as well - from using certain websites to view lawful content," he said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing this statute permanently blocked as a violation of Floridians' constitutional right to engage in lawful speech online." A spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the law and the state's efforts to insulate kids from social media at a time when platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat seem almost impossible to escape. "Florida parents voted through their elected representatives for a law protecting kids from the harmful and sometimes lifelong tragic impacts of social media. These platforms do not have a constitutional right to addict kids to their products," Uthmeier's press secretary Jae Williams said in a statement. "We disagree with the court's order and will immediately seek relief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Henderson County passes 2026 budget, fully funding public school request
The Henderson County Board of Commissioners approved a fiscal year 2026 budget after a public hearing June 2. Those giving public comment spoke overwhelmingly in favor of greater funding for public schools, which was ultimately included. One after another, 10 public education advocates wearing matching shirts, light blue, with a red heart and the words 'Public School Strong!' above North Carolina's state outline, came to the podium. Katie Gash, a former math teacher at Hendersonville Middle School, told the board she was an 'exhibit A' case for more public school funding. 'I can tell you that the teachers are doing all they can do, and they need all the help they can get,' she said. This all comes after a budget workshop meeting May 21, when the board went line by line through County Manager John Mitchell's proposed budget and voted on increases to items to fund public services non-profits, including hospitals and addiction treatment organizations. According to Mitchell's presentation to the board in that meeting, top areas of recommended funding for 2026 include education, public safety and human services. Together, they make up $160 million, or around three-quarters of the roughly $214 million budget. On June 2, the board voted in favor of more funding for school facilities and teacher pay. It added $500,000 for capital improvements and another $763,463 for other expenses, including supplements to otherwise state-funded teacher salaries, Henderson County Financial Services Director Samantha Reynolds told the Times-News June 3. That's on top of more than $36 million that was already included in the budget for public schools. Henderson County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Garrett, who addressed the board June 2, requested around $1 million less this year than last. 'We all appreciate you going back and … finding over a million dollars in cuts,' Commissioner Jay Egolf told him in the meeting. Reynolds provided documents to the Times-News that show the additional education funding was the largest change to the budget in the latest meeting. Revenue to balance additional spending will come from fire inspection fees, the Capital Project Fund and sales and use tax. 'The most important thing about the budget this year is that we were able to hold our tax rate the same, and especially in light of all the Helene issues going on,' Reynolds said. The Board of Commissioners added around $340,000 in equipment and pay for new county staff, including a fire marshal, a position at the recreation department to mow grass and another at the Henderson County Public Library to organize a collection of antique photographs. It also added close to $60,000 to the budget for equipment to maintain public parks and ballfields and $50,000 for the Heritage Museum. Commissioner Rebecca McCall told the Times-News June 3 that she was pleasantly surprised how quickly, and smoothly budget adoption went this year. 'We don't always agree on everything … (but) we got through it quicker, and we were able to come to a consensus,' she said. In the past, the board has gone without an agreement until the second or third meeting in June to make the July 1 deadline, she said. More: Henderson County Commissioners comb through recommended budget for 2026 ahead of hearing More: Hendersonville budget draft accounts for more staffing and infrastructure George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at GFRussell@ This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Henderson Co. '26 budget passed with additional funding for education
