Florida
Florida is bungling its food assistance money; it could hurt 3 million
The Agrculture Department says the error rate in the SNAP food program for low-income families is high and might trigger a nearly $1 billion penalty.
Florida is not performing well when it comes to managing food assistance money.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its fiscal year 2025 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates that measure how accurately states determine who qualifies for SNAP and how much they should receive.
Florida’s error rate for 2025 was 12.97%, which covers both overpayments and underpayments. The national payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 is 10.62%. The 12.97% is more than double the federal threshold of 6% percent that Congress says is acceptable.
The result is the state will have to pay a nearly $1 billion penalty and subsequently could impact the 3 million mostly lower-income Floridians, who rely on that program. Florida is now required to submit a corrective action plan to the USDA detailing a solution.
Florida’s rate is actually down from the 15.1% error rate the year before, it’s still above a 10% threshold that would require Florida and other states to contribute to the program’s future costs. That would come to about $984 million for Florida in the fiscal year that begins in 2028.
Change is part of President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
This change is part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that focused on finding waste, fraud and abuse in numerous federal programs.
“These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
Critics predict huge cost shift to state
The Florida Policy Institute, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, called the change a “massive cost shift” from the federal government to the state.
“Now, unless Florida lawmakers act to raise revenue to preserve SNAP and make up for the loss in federal funds, we will see a cut to SNAP program eligibility or benefits, or cuts in other areas of the state budget,” said Holly Bullard, FPI’s chief strategy and development officer.
The Legislature did approve about $4 million in the new state budget for improved methods of finding errors so the rate will go down further.
The federal bill pushed by Trump also cuts SNAP nationally by about $187 billion over 10 years. In Florida, in the first five months since the bill took effect, participation in SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) has dropped by about 10% statewide — more than 277,000 people.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY at https://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
Florida
‘Experimental explosion’ reported off Central Florida coast, experts say
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – If you felt shaking along Florida’s east coast on Thursday, you’re not alone. But it wasn’t an earthquake.
A strong “experimental explosion” was reported in the waters off Central Florida on Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS website indicates that the explosion happened around 3:04 p.m., roughly 91 miles east-northeast of Ponce Inlet.
Per the agency, the event registered a preliminary magnitude of 3.9. However, few other details about what may have caused the explosion have been provided at this time.
“The recorded ground motions from this event are more typical of an explosion than a naturally occurring earthquake,” the USGS website reads. “The Navy has conducted Full Ship Shock Trials in this region in the past.”
[A LOOK BACK: U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford performs shock trials on an aircraft carrier in 2021]
News 6 has reached out to Navy officials for more information and is awaiting additional details.
Anyone who felt the impact of the explosion is urged to report their experience here.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Florida
Florida preacher buys VT campus to build Christian college | Fox News Video
Florida preacher Tommie Zito discusses his acquisition of the former Green Mountain College in Vermont to establish “Z University,” a Christian college.
Florida preacher Tommie Zito discusses his mission to transform the abandoned Green Mountain College in Vermont into “Z University,” a Christian college. Zito’s goal is to train future leaders in evangelism, business, government, and music. He plans for the college to be fully operational by August 2027, emphasizing the need for godly institutions to counter current educational trends.
Florida
Cyclosporiasis cases in Florida, US could be undercounted, health expert says
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A parasite that causes extreme diarrhea, seen in recent outbreaks across the country, has been documented in over 20 counties in Florida. But experts say there could be more cases than what has been reported.
According to the Florida Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report, 50 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the state since May 1.
“This infectious disease may be hard to monitor due to the nature of the signs and symptoms,” said Dr. Norman Beatty, an associate professor of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at UF Health Shands. “It’s common to get a diarrheal illness at times, and other infectious diseases can resolve on their own, but cyclosporiasis is important to identify right now because there are multiple outbreaks across the country.”
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the parasite cyclospora, which causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
[WATCH: Parasitic infection spreading across states, including Florida]
Once a case is confirmed through testing, a report is sent to the state department of health. But if someone doesn’t seek medical attention, the case could go unreported, Beatty said.
There could be a six-week reporting lag between illness onset and reporting, according to the CDC.
Since May 1, the federal agency has received reports of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis but is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis, the CDC stated Tuesday.
In Florida since May 1, DOH data shows Lee County has seen the most cyclosporiasis cases with nine, followed by Miami-Dade with six and Broward with five.
Other counties with cases include: Alachua, Brevard, Collier, Columbia, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Gadsden, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter and Volusia.
In Alachua County, Beatty said he has seen several cases at UF Health Shands, which doctors believe stemmed from eating produce.
Previous outbreaks in the U.S. have been linked to raw produce, like lettuce and raspberries.
According to DOH data, Alachua County has seen one case of cyclosporiasis in June. But the department’s data is 10 days out of date, according to DOH’s website. The last day cases were uploaded to the report was July 4. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s data on Florida undercounts DOH’s data, with only 11-30 reported sick people in the state.
In most scenarios, people who get cyclosporiasis will recover on their own. But in some cases, people can have persistent symptoms and relapsing infections over time, so any suspected cases should be tested, Beatty said.
Direct human-to-human transmission is rare, he said, but if infected, people could shed the parasite into the environment, where it could become infectious again within a week or two, contributing to another outbreak.
“It’s a very hardy parasite,” he said.
The outbreak was first reported in Michigan on July 1, with other outbreaks later reported in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the CDC.
While 34 states, including Florida, have reported cases, the source of the outbreak is still unknown.
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