TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference on Monday at the Tampa Bay History Center to discuss the state’s Hope Florida Initiative and announce rewards for CarePortal churches from across the state.
The governor was joined by First Lady Casey DeSantis, Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris and the governor’s liaison for Faith and Community Erik Dellenback.
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Spearheaded in 2021 by Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and implemented by the Florida Department of Children and Families, Hope Florida is billed as a care portal connecting the needy to resources via volunteer groups, businesses, and faith-based organizations.
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“We are proud to be here with 13 top need-meeting CarePortal churches from across the state who’ve delivered beds, meals, clothes and met other urgent needs that our Hope navigators have identified,” DeSantis said.
The program’s mission statement reads, “We’re not just offering a handout — we’re empowering individuals to embrace their full God-given potential.” The Hope Florida Fund itself was launched in July 2022, according to the governor’s office.
DeSantis and the First Lady presented a check to the following churches:
- RiverLife Church ($25,000)
- Oasis Church ($25,000)
- Radiant Church ($25,000)
- South Shore Community Church ($25,000)
- Grace Bible Church of Sebring ($25,000)
- Idlewild Baptist Church ($25,000)
- North River Church ($25,000)
- Action Church ($25,000)
- Bayside Community Church - North River Campus ($25,000)
- University Carillon United Methodist Church ($25,000)
- Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale ($25,000)
- Spanish River Church ($50,000)
- Grace Family Church ( $50,000)
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