Florida
Hope Florida helping thousands, first lady Casey DeSantis says
The governor’s office estimates Florida could eventually save nearly a billion dollars through help provided by the Hope Florida program.
Hope Florida has been around for three years after it was spearheaded by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, who wanted to improve connections between people and aid outside of government.
She was helping bag groceries Thursday to highlight how the program works.
“I always say you can have the best resources, you can have the best programs, but if you don’t know that they’re there, what good are they?” DeSantis told us during a one-on-one interview.
The first lady officially launched Hope Florida in 2021 after it ran as a pilot program in a few key spots around the state. It was conceived as a better way to connect those in need with the private sector, nonprofits, and especially faith groups.
Hope Florida acts as a conduit to ensure aid in an area gets to where it’s needed most. Organizers say it eases the burden on Florida’s welfare programs.
“It’s helping people find a better place in life,” DeSantis said. “Helping them live up to their God-given potential, helping them on a pathway to economic self-sufficiency.”
Since starting in 2020 as a pilot, Hope Florida reports it’s helped more than 87,000 Floridians. Over 25,000 of them have cut down or eliminated their use of public aid for food or cash. In 10 years, the state said that’ll equal a Florida savings of nearly $795,000,000.
At Hope Florida’s core is its Hope Navigators like Kirsten Lovett.
“We are someone that actually gives people hope,” she said.
When requests come, Lovett acts sort of like a social worker who helps determine the needs of a person or family. She enters it all into a website, the CarePortal.
From there, charities and churches enrolled with Hope Florida are alerted. If they think they can help with food, furniture or whatever the need might be, they say so. Navigators like Lovett then coordinate.
“A lot of times families hear no — that denial kind of discourages them,” she said. “What we do is make those calls for them. When we call them back— all they hear is yes.”
It was City Church in Tallahassee on Thursday that said yes. And Pastor Dean Inserra said Hope Florida is helping his church say it a lot more.
“It’s real easy to know that there are needs in the big picture, generically,” Inserra said. “But it can be so big you feel like you can’t make a difference by taking the next step. CarePortal allows us to have a clear next step and say here are real people, with real problems, that are right next door.”
Right next door, or even down the road in Quincy, where one family we met with, got the care it needed. That, and a little more hope, thanks in part to Hope Florida.
“If you are looking for hope, Hope Florida is a place to start, and it’s 850-300-HOPE,” DeSantis said.
Scripps Only Content 2024
The future of Florida’s new congressional map is now in the hands of a Leon County judge after attorneys for voting rights groups and the state squared off in court over whether the redistricting plan is unconstitutional. FOX 13’s Aaron Mesmer reports.
Plans for a new Wawa to open in Port St. Lucie were approved.
A new Wawa fuel station and convenience store will open in Port St. Lucie now that the plans have been approved.
The Wawa will be at the corner of Village Parkway and Becker Road in front of the Lowe’s which is expected to open in the summer of 2026, according to the city’s website.
The plans for a Wawa convenience store and eight fuel pumps were submitted to the city Dec. 3, 2025.
What will go in Port St. Lucie’s Southern Grove?
The plans for the Shoppes at Southern Grove show there will be a new Lowe’s store and six additional outparcels.
The six additional outparcels include the following:
- Gas station: 5,915 square feet
- Outparcel A: 1.2 acres
- Outparcel B: 1.14 acres
- Outparcel C: 1.83 acres
- Outparcel D: 1.04 acres
- Outparcel E: 1.02 acres
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
SUNRISE, Fla. – Five Florida Panthers players and five staff members will represent their home countries at the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship, taking place May 15 through May 31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States.
Marek Alscher, 22, will represent Czechia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time. He previously played for his home country at the 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, skating in seven games to help the Czechs capture the bronze medal over Finland. Alscher made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, notching three assists over four games played. He also skated in 52 American Hockey League (AHL) games with Florida’s affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, recording 11 points (3-8-11).
Aleksander Barkov, 30, missed the 2026 Winter Olympic Games due to injury but had been named to Finland’s preliminary roster in June of 2025. He previously earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games alongside current Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu, and earned a silver medal representing his home country at the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship. At the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Barkov served as captain of Finland.
Anton Lundell, 24, will be participating in his second IIHF World Championship after earning a silver medal with Finland in 2021, where he posted seven points (4-3-7) in 10 games as a 19-year-old. He helped Finland capture the bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games this season and previously earned gold at the 2019 IIHF U20 WJC and 2018 IIHF U18 WJC, as well as a bronze medal at the 2021 U20 WJC.
Sandis Vilmanis, 22, will represent Latvia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in his career. He played for Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in February as well as at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships, serving as an alternate captain in 2024 where he produced four points (2-2-4) over five games. Vilmanis made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, logging five points (3-2-5) in 19 games with Florida while compiling 38 points (17-21-38) in 48 American Hockey League (AHL) contests with the Panthers affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Matthew Tkachuk, 28, will attempt to become the first American to join the Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, World Championship Gold Medal and Olympic Gold Medal), as well as the first player in NHL history to win all three parts of the Triple Gold Club within a 12-month span. This will be Tkachuk’s first time participating in the IIHF World Championship.
In addition to his 2026 Olympic gold medal, Tkachuk also earned gold representing the United States at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship and the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge, as well as a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF U20 WJC. He served as alternate captain for the U.S. at the 2026 Olympics and 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Florida will have four staff members representing the United States. Panthers Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson is serving as General Manager for the second time after holding the position in 2024. Panthers Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards will serve as equipment manager and Florida’s Head Athletic Trainer Dave DiNapoli will work as athletic trainer. Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito will serve on the Advisory Group.
Panthers Assistant General Manager Gregory Campbell will assist with evaluating and selecting players for Canada.
Panthers fans can stay up to date on all the Cats’ representatives at the 2026 IIHF World Championships at FloridaPanthers.com/WorldChampionship.
2026-27 Florida Panthers Territory Memberships are available now! Click here to learn more. For all the latest in Panthers news, concerts and events at Amerant Bank Arena & FTL War Memorial, sign up for ’93 Society newsletter and receive information straight to your inbox. Visit FloridaPanthers.com or SeatGeek.com for all ticketing needs.
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