TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

1 in 10 Floridians On Food Stamps, A 30% Increase

Tribune file photo

The housing bust is one reason households are turning to food stamps to survive in hard times.

ADVERTISEMENT

By WHITNEY RAY

Capitol News Service

Published: January 9, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - One in 10 Floridians is now receiving food stamps, a jump of nearly 30 percent in just one year.

The biggest increase was in Lee County, which is home to Cape Coral, the community hardest-hit by the Florida housing collapse.

The number of Lee County households receiving food stamps rose 72 percent to 25,450 in 2008, according to the state Department of Children & Families.

Other areas with big increases include Manatee County, up 60 percent to 12,652 households, and Sarasota County, which rose 54 percent to 12,399 households.

In Hillsborough, households receiving food stamps rose 29 percent to 63,330; Pasco saw an increase of 43 percent, to 22,743 households; Pinellas, 25 percent to 43,066 households; and Polk, 25 percent to 31,542 households.

Statewide, 1.8 million people in 921,385 households are on food stamps, an increase of 29 percent over 2007.

The growing hardship is reflected in calls to the state food stamp hot line, which numbered three million in December.

"The tears, men and women, single fathers coming in," said Lee Ann Godwin, who helps people with their applications and listens to their stories. "It hurts their pride and their ego."

Applicants face an even tougher road because DCF is trying to process more claims with 3,000 fewer workers as a budget-strapped state cuts employees.

"I know there is a lot of frustration in the public who can't get through to the call centers," said DCF Secretary George Sheldon.

Frustrated, more and more people are stopping by local food stamp offices to apply in person instead.

Work has slowed for horticulturalist David Lietz. For the past few months he's been visiting the food stamp office. Over time, he's seen a change.

"There seems to be more people and just more middle-class people," Lietz said.

With more people depending on food stamps, DCF is hoping state lawmakers allocate more overtime money to extend call center hours.

The department faces a $5 million budget cut, but administrators hope a $5 million bonus it is receiving for efficiency can be used to close the gap.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT