Florida
Assisted living claims victories in Florida budget, sees promise in future talks

Senior living industry experts are calling Florida’s $117 billion state budget a mix of hits and misses regarding programs supporting older adults.
Increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate and personal needs allowance were two wins state associations are celebrating.
The 2024-2025 state budget, which was passed recently by lawmakers at the end of the 2024 legislation session, included a $1.3 million Medicaid increase for Assistive Care Services, which includes services provided by assisted living communities.
“We are immensely grateful to the legislature and their collaborative efforts that resulted in a budget that not only addresses immediate needs, but also builds upon a solid foundation for the future of elder care in our state,” LeadingAge Southeast Vice President of Advocacy Susan Langston said in a statement. “From nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home- and community-based services, to affordable senior housing and workforce, these investments reflect a commitment to sustaining programs and services that provide high quality care for Florida’s older adults as they age across the continuum.”
Florida Assisted Living Association CEO Bijou Ikli explained that the ACS increase will help offset some of the costs associated with providing care for low-income residents. That daily rate had been $13.37, which Ikli said wouldn’t cover an hour of child care or even boarding for a pet, let alone coverage for assisting an older adult with activities of daily living. The latest budget increase will bump that daily rate by 15%.
The low reimbursement rate previously led many assisted living providers to forgo acceptance of ACS residents. Ikli said that a bump in the rate might incentivize others to accept this type of reimbursement and potentially reduce instances of earlier transitions of residents to skilled nursing facilities.
The Florida Senior Living Association said it supported the rate increase.
“Consistent Medicaid increases are necessary for the future of assisted living,” Jason Hand, FSLA vice president of public policy and legal affairs, told McKnight’s Senior Living. “Each assisted living community in Florida is unique and provides many types of services, and we are grateful for every investment made toward securing the continued future of our amazing communities and their residents.”
Increasing the personal needs allowance
The budget also includes $6.7 million to increase the personal needs allowance for individuals receiving Florida Optional State Supplementation in an assisted living community, adult family care home or mental health treatment center. The OSS program helps qualified low-income individuals pay for room and board in those settings.
Ikli said that the increase is a significant win, as the personal needs allowance — which allows residents to retain a portion of their personal income to pay for personal expenses such as haircuts, toiletries, clothing and snacks — has remained $54 per month for assisted living residents for the past 20 years. The state budget increase brings that monthly figure up to $160 to match the amount nursing homes residents receive.
“We thought it was important to address, because we thought it must be an oversight,” Ikli said, adding that many assisted living providers who choose to supplement their residents’ needs faced the prospect of going out of business because they couldn’t maintain those expenses.
Assisted living part of ‘promising’ discussions
One area that didn’t gain traction in the latest legislative session was addressing the statewide Medicaid managed care long-term care wait list, or SMMC-LTC.
Individuals are living longer, so many older adults who move into private-pay assisted living are running out of money and have to go through the process of applying for long-term care managed care. Those individuals eventually are placed on the SMMC-LTC waitlist for the communities they once called home.
Ikli said that the system creates a level of unnecessary stress and disruption for residents. Although proposals to rework the system did not make it to the committee level, she said that “promising” conversations have occurred about developing a plan to discuss the issue in a rules setting.
In addition, there also is an effort in the state to free up beds in skilled nursing facilities by transitioning more individuals into the greater community by identifying community-based alternatives. Ikli said that she is excited about that effort and believes it presents an opportunity for assisted living providers to help with some of those transitions.
“There is a lot of room for assisted living to help with saving the system a lot of money, especially for individuals who can’t be alone but also don’t need 24-hour nursing care, to have a place to go,” she said.
The key to being successful, she said, is going to be demonstrating the value of assisted living. Ikli said that the sector needs to be able to document its value, show the benefit and work as collaborative partners with various agencies and provider types on the healthcare continuum.

Florida
Jesuit’s Will Griffin becomes 10th Florida high school QB to throw for 10K yards

TAMPA – Jesuit High School senior quarterback Will Griffin always idolized Florida Gator football legend Tim Tebow.
“I look up to him,” Griffin said.
However, it’s Tebow that is now looking up at Griffin, at least when it comes to the high school football record books.
What they’re saying:
“He’s definitely the once in a career type of player,” Jesuit head coach Matt Thompson said. “You don’t really get it that much. Not as a quarterback. I have not had a quarterback be as special as Will.”

In the first game of the 2025 season, Griffin surpassed the 10,000 passing yards career milestone. He is just the 10th player in high school football history in the sunshine state to ever join that club, according to MaxPreps. Tebow finished his career at Nease High School with 9,765 passing yards.
“10,000 was amazing,” Griffin said. “It is really hard to do that. I’ve got to remind myself that I go out here and play for the team. I am not playing for myself or the stats that follows. If you can have a good team around you and a great defense to get you the ball, a great offense that can score, the stats will naturally come.”
The backstory:
It certainly helps he was able to play varsity football as a seventh and eighth grader under Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Mike Alstott at Northside Christian. Griffin makes it clear; however, he does not deserve all of the credit for hitting this mark.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the offensive line,” Griffin said. “If it wasn’t for the receivers catching my passes. If it wasn’t for the running backs running touchdowns to open up the pass. A lot of things go into it.”
READ: State Basketball Championships moving to Jacksonville after decades in Lakeland
A lot of things go into his success, but Jesuit head football coach Matt Thompson says Griffin has a lot of the traits to be successful.

“He has all of the measurables,” Thompson said. “[He has] the size, the speed, the strength and the arm strength as a quarterback. His football IQ is outstanding. He understands the game. He understands the offense. He understands the defense. He’s a total package.”
The University of Florida was impressed with those abilities and offered him a scholarship. For the kid who grew up watching the Gators on fall Saturdays, it’s a dream come true.
Going to Gainesville
“It’s just home,” Griffin said. “It felt like the right place for me to be. Very excited. I want to get there. I want to help out. I want to contribute. I want to play really badly.”
However, at this moment, Griffin just wants to soak in his last few months as a high school football player.

“I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I know it’s going to end soon,” Griffin said. “I want to make sure I take in every moment.”
That’s because Griffin wants to be remembered not for his stats but for who he is as a person.
“I want people to remember me more as a leader rather than going to Florida,” Griffin said. “I want it to be more like, ‘He was a leader. He gave everything to the team. He never quit. He never gave up.’”
Griffin will enroll early at Florida. He was the first commit for Billy Napier in the 2026 recruiting class.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Mark Skol, Jr.
Florida
Thousands of Northeast Florida students, community members pour out support for Charlie Kirk at vigil

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Students and community members from across Northeast Florida gathered Sunday evening at Veterans Park to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week while speaking at Utah Valley University.
The vigil that brought out thousands was organized by student-led chapters of Turning Point USA, including groups from the University of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Creekside High School and St. Augustine High School.
VIDEO | ‘He sparked a movement’: News4JAX political analyst discusses political impact of Kirk assassination
Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point, was known for his rallies, debates and outspoken presence on college campuses across the country.
“Somebody that inspired me, somebody who made me want to voice my own opinion and how I feel about things going around in the world and my beliefs,” Abigail Venuto said.
Gov. DeSantis condemns ‘increasing levels of political violence’ after Charlie Kirk shot at campus event in Utah
Students who talked with News4JAX said the event honored Kirk’s legacy.
“We honored his movement,” Jaden Duffey said.
Mourners lit candles and left flowers and handwritten messages at the vigil.
Duffey, former president of Creekside High School’s Turning Point USA chapter, urged unity.
“We’re in the midst of a political escalation,” he said. “Everybody needs to de-escalate and we’re not alone. We’re unified as Americans and that’s the most important thing.”
Duffey said during his time with Creekside chapter he had the chance to meet Kirk several times over breakfast.
“Someone who has accumulated millions of followers it was just stunning,” Duffey said. “Then you realize that he’s a very humble person inside.”
Duffey said he was in disbelief when he first heard the news of Kirk’s death. He said there were lots of calls and conversation leading up to Sunday’s vigil.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the vigil in a social media post earlier in the day, saying deputies would have a “large law enforcement presence” at the park and surrounding area as a precaution.
“We’ve got to calm down,” Duffey said. “We have to bring back the American way – the first amendment right, allowing people to just disagree with one another no matter how passionate it is but violence is never the option.”
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Florida
Where to watch South Florida-Miami college football game today free livestream

The No. 18 South Florida Bulls play against the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes in a college football game today. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT on The CW Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV.
The Bulls enter this matchup with a 2-0 record, and they have already defeated two ranked opponents this season. In their most recent game, the Bulls defeated Florida 18-16.
During the victory, Byrum Brown led the South Florida offense. He completed 23-36 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, so he will look to perform similarly this afternoon.
Notably, Brown led the team in rushing with 66 yards on the ground.
The Hurricanes also enter this matchup with a 2-0 record, and they are coming off a 45-3 win against Bethune-Cookman.
During the victory, Carson Beck led the Miami offense. He completed 22-24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, which highlights his arm talent.
Beck has thrown for four touchdowns and nearly 500 yards this season, so he will try to continue his offensive success today.
Fans can watch this college football game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV.
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